| First we had Pulp Fiction, then we had
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and now we
have Go. I really enjoy this type of movie and Go is no exception. Go features a
fresh and attractive cast, with smooth, sublime direction by Doug Liman. Like Pulp
Fiction, Go shows us the events of one Christmas Eve in Los Angeles (and Las
Vegas) from several different points of view, introducing each character's story with a
title card (e.g. "Ronna"). This loopy structure provides a great
deal of fun, as we realise that subsequent stories are going to fill in the blanks of
preceding ones. The first segment follows
Ronna (Sarah Polley), a cashier working at a local Los Angeles grocery store. She hates
her job, but she has to pay rent, and if she doesn't get $380 by Christmas, she'll be
evicted. Opportunity comes in the form of fellow co-worker/drug dealer Simon (Desmond
Askew), who pleads with her to take his shift. He has plans to drive to Las Vegas with
three of his friends. She accepts. Zack (Jay Mohr) and Adam (Scott Wolf), are two
gay soap opera stars, they approach Ronna, looking for Simon who normally hooks them up
with drugs. Ronna, seeing the chance to raise enough money to pay for her rent, tells them
that she will hook them up. She goes to Simon's drug dealer Todd (Timothy Olyphant) and
obtains the drugs. Unfortunately, things aren't exactly as they appear to be, and Ronna
ends up getting in way over her head.
The second segment follows Simon as he and his three
friends Marcus (Taye Diggs), Singh (James Duval), and Tiny (Breckin Meyer) travel to Vegas
for gambling, drinking, and sex. For most of this segment, Singh and Tiny are left out of
the equation, spending most of their time wasted in a hotel room. Simon and Marcus lose
most of their money gambling, and then steal a sleek sports car after Marcus is mistaken
for a valet parking attendant. This all leads up to a great scene inside a strip club,
where the scene climaxes with a bloody shooting and excellent car chase.
The third segment follows the aforementioned Zack and Adam
as we discover exactly what their motives are for buying the drugs. Turns out that they
are in trouble with the law themselves, being set up to catch a drug dealer in the act.
The officer in charge, Burke (William Fichtner), won't let Zack and Adam off the hook, and
insists that they come to his house for dinner. There, his oversexed wife Irene (Jane
Krakowski) and he explain their ulterior motives for bringing them home. This segment
contains the most surprises of them all. The direction in bringing these stories
together is excellent, accompanied by an fantastic script e.g:
Ronna: I need a favour.
Todd: Wow, I didn't know we'd become such good friends, because if we had, you'd
know that I give head before I give favours and I don't even give my best friends head so
your chances of getting a favour are pretty slim."
and some hilarious scenes Go succeeds in entertaining.
So How Does This Transfer Hold Up??
VIDEO
The transfer which is anamorphically framed at 2.35:1 is generally excellent. It is
very sharp, clear with excellent colour saturation. Flesh tones are natural and the image
is clean and free of artifacts. Shadow detail is also spot on and the transfer is free of
film grain. In short this is your typical CTS film transfer, excellent.
AUDIO
The disc contains both an English & German 5.1 channel Dolby Digital mix.
The audio suits the movie, it is dynamic, aggressive at times and very fast paced. The
surrounds are used constantly and there is plenty of LFE for us bass fans. Dialogue was
clear and easy to understand. The soundtrack is also excellent.
EXTRAS
Included are the theatrical trailer, Behind the scenes featurette, Interviews
with cast & Director. An audio commentary with Director & Film Editor, Deleted
scenes galore, 3 music videos and animated menus. The extras really are fantastic and
a great addition to a great film.
Overall an excellent movie, excellent extras
with a great transfer and audio. What more do you want, Go and get it ! (Pardon the pun)
| PICTURE QUALITY |
9/10 excellent |
SOUND
- Quality
- 5.1 WOW Factor |
- 8/10
- 8/10 |
| FEATURES |
10/10 Fantastic Extras |
Review Equipment
TV: Pioneer SD-T43W1 (16:9 RPTV)
DVD: Toshiba 2109 Region Free
Receiver: Yamaha RXV995 (DD/DTS)
Speakers:-
Fronts: Polk Audio RT55
Centre: Polk Audio CS350
Rears: Polk Audio AB705's
Sub: M&K V125
- Reviewed 17th February 2000
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