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directed by Doug Liman
stars Desmond Askew, Sarah Polley, Scott Wolf
Doug Liman burst onto the directorial scene with his 1996 debut Swingers, a super-low-budget flick which scored remarkable box office success both at the theater and on video. That story followed four struggling actor friends, wrestling with the entertainment industry and romantic involvement. The soundtrack highlighted (recently resurgent) swing music, with a guest appearance by the hot band Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Go, Liman’s sophomore effort, also focuses on youth in the city of LA and their chosen music, techno trance. Using a technique that has become, perhaps, too familiar, Liman breaks the work into vignettes concerning three sets of characters, and their stories intersect in curious, sometimes comical ways. To call Go a weaker version of Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train might hold some truth but it would be unfair to director Liman. This young filmmaker’s flick has energy, involving characters, laughs and suspense, all of which is plenty to keep the viewer engaged.
Ronna (Sarah Polley), a broke check-out girl at a local supermarket, is about to get evicted when she thinks fate has thrown her a sure-fire way to pick up all her back rent in one night, and enjoy doing it. All she has to do is step in for an absent friend (Simon, Desmond Askew), and cut an ecstasy deal. The edgy world of dealing drugs, youths bursting with both energy and cynicism and the techno rave scene are all well depicted in this sketch which sets up the rest of the movie. You know Ronna is not gonna sail through this unscathed, it’s just a matter of what’s going to go wrong. This sketch is the strongest, most realistic and affecting of the lot. Naturally the eventual outcome is tied to the fates of the characters in the following scenarios. The second involves Simon and three friends of his as they make an utterly wild and ill-advised romp to Las Vegas. This portion comes off as a Hollywood-wannabe road movie and, while some of the scenes are entertaining, it’s basically just titillation. The flick returns to form in the last vignette. Two gay actors have been pressured into an uncomfortable cooperation with a law enforcement officer who turns out to be the creepiest character of the film. Again using realism, attention to detail, surprise twists and humor the filmmaker is able to bring the film to conclusion in fine style. Liman has a definite talent for capturing teens/twenty-somethings trying to make careers or simply a living, and/or party hardy. He’s got his finger on the pulse of this age group so, at times, one wishes he might offer more insight into their inner worlds. Still the film has some psychological depth and is full of energy and irony. Informed by Liman’s distinctive and evolving style, Go is a fun night in the theater.