Go

Details

With eviction looming, supermarket checkout worker Ronna agrees to cover a shift for her colleague Simon while he heads to Las Vegas. When two of Simon's regular customers arrive looking to buy Ecstasy, Ronna sees an opportunity to earn the money she desperately needs and agrees to arrange the deal herself.

Meanwhile, Simon and his friends embark upon a reckless night in Las Vegas which rapidly descends into trouble. After losing much of their money, they visit a strip club where Simon breaks the establishment's strict rules and becomes involved in a confrontation with a bouncer.

The final storyline follows soap actors Adam and Zack, who have agreed to assist the police with a drugs sting in exchange for having charges against them dropped. As the events of the night unfold, the three stories begin to overlap and the connections between the various characters are gradually revealed.

Picture & Sound

The 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is generally impressive, with strong colours and a clean, detailed image. Much of the film takes place at night and the darker scenes are handled well, although the picture occasionally lacks the sharpness of the very best DVD transfers.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is lively and suits the film perfectly. Dialogue remains clear, while the music and numerous nightclub sequences make good use of the surround channels. Bass is also put to effective use, giving the soundtrack plenty of energy without overwhelming the quieter scenes.

Menu & Extras

The director's commentary from Doug Liman provides an interesting account of the production and is accompanied by a short behind-the-scenes featurette. Neither is especially comprehensive, but together they offer a useful introduction to the making of the film.

The deleted scenes are well worth watching once the film has finished, while the three music videos and international trailer round out a respectable collection of material. Filmographies are also included, although these are unlikely to keep anybody occupied for very long.

Overall

Doug Liman was clearly influenced by Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, with Go employing a similarly fragmented structure to tell several interconnected stories. It may lack some of the cleverness and originality of Tarantino's film, but the different storylines fit together neatly and the pace rarely gives the viewer time to become bored.

The cast are well suited to their roles, with Sarah Polley making Ronna both sympathetic and believable despite the increasingly poor decisions she makes. Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr work well together as Adam and Zack, but Timothy Olyphant steals many of his scenes as the quietly menacing Todd Gaines. Simon's disastrous Las Vegas excursion also provides some of the film's funniest and most memorable moments.

Go should not be dismissed as just another teen movie. It is a clever, funny and fast-paced film which remains entertaining throughout, even if its debt to Pulp Fiction is sometimes rather obvious. The good presentation and worthwhile selection of extras make this a solid DVD package and one that is easy to recommend.

Special features

• Behind the Scenes Featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Director's Commentary
• Filmographies
• International Trailer
• Three Music Videos