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Go was the first feature length screenplay by John August, who later went on to be a frequent Tim Burton collaborator. August has a knack for witty dialogue and natural flowing occurrences. Even at the film’s quick pace, nothing feels overly rushed or down-played. While his portrayal of 18-year-old teens who only want to party is not very realistic, it is relatable and grounded. Part of that credit goes to director Liman, who scouted real locations to shoot at, not Hollywood-glamoured sets. This is Liman’s last “small” film, as he went on to become a TV producer and big-budget action film director with The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Jumper.

Remember when TV made movie stars and not the other way around? When released, the poster showed the faces of the recognizable but not widely namable Sarah Polley, Timothy Olyphant (who plays the film’s main drug dealer), and Katie Holmes (Ronna’s best friend, who is hilariously left at Olyphant’s house as collateral for the drugs).

As a matter of fact, no one in the cast had very much movie experience – unusual for an ensemble where big names lead. While Pulp rejuvenated careers, Go launched them. Holmes and Wolf were hot off of their small screen hits Dawson’s Creek and Party of Five, and marketed more prominently than their screen time. Being a big fan of ensemble pieces, I was hesitant about seeing Go at first since the trailer made it seem like it starred the current teenage flavors of the month made-on-the-go. Go had been sitting towards the bottom of my Netflix queue for quite some time as it was “Netflix Recommended” for me, but I had very little knowledge on it until I started researching for this piece. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I watched it at how the cast gave star making performances all around, squashing all of my negative presumptions.

Sarah Polley (Splice, Away From Her) held her presence. Even though her story was first, it was the most memorable at the end. Polley’s narcissistic, simply-delivered one-liners gave me as big of a laugh as Desmond Askew’s flailing of limbs as he nakedly escapes a burning hotel room or running away from a thug’s bullet in a wild Vegas strip car chase. Timothy Olyphant (Justified, The Crazies) was angrily restrained as the drug dealer whom Ronna crossed and has one of the film’s best dialogue exchanges with Holmes, who is bubbly, naïve and the sole straight-man of the film. Wolf and Mohr without any stereotype play a gay couple uncomfortably “working for the man,” played by Fichtner in one of the lightest roles in his hard guy playing career. Mohr and Wolf shine in one of their last scenes when they attempt at disposing the body of one of the main characters (no spoilers) in one of the funniest scenes, the hilarity raised by the serious background it is set in.

Maybe it was the April release date against other teen comedies: Drew Barrymore’s Never Been Kissed, and the Heath Ledger-Julia Stiles ensemble 10 Things I Hate About You. Or possibly Go couldn’t look original enough being crammed in with the many other Pulp Fiction wannabes. Or maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, because Go barely went anywhere with a weak $4.7 million opening. But with strong legs, the film mustered a tad under $17 million (or about $26.5 million adjusted today). With a $6.5 million budget, Go was a success for Sony in its lackluster year.

Much like the film’s box office performance, most of the cast’s careers went nowhere. Holmes became less famous for her acting career and more for her personal life as being Mrs. Tom Cruise. Polley has found a nice career in independent films, earning an Oscar nomination in 2008 for her writing in her directorial effort Away from Her. Fichtner has seen success in more character supporting roles in films like Date Night, The Dark Knight, and the FOX TV show Prison Break. Scott Wolf and Jay Mohr found little success on the big screen and returned to their TV roots on shows like V and Gary Unmarried, respectively. Olyphant turned out to have the best career. Getting a starring role on the acclaimed HBO series Deadwood, he found more success on the FX network’s Emmy-magnet show Damages and this year headlined the network’s ratings grabber Justified. Unlike the other actors, he has also carved out a movie career for himself, elevating B-material with his A-list performances in films like Hitman, A Perfect Getaway, and The Crazies.

Being only six when this movie was released, watching Go now for the first time at the age of 18, I felt that the film was just as relevant today as it was in 1999, if not more so (sans the constant use of a pager), with the influences still being shown in movies today. Wild nights in Las Vegas filled with booze, boobs, and bullets (see The Hangover), drug-fueled comedies (see Pineapple Express), and angsty teenage drama (see the Doug Liman produced The OC or any show on the CW) are still prevalent in today’s media.

Go was one of the first films to fully utilize DVD, the new format at the time, with a simultaneous 2-disc special edition release. Opening the film to a wider audience also through its many TV airings allowed new generations to embrace the film while Pulp Fiction, still popular, has had trouble gaining new viewers due to its content and long running time making it TV-unfriendly and being without a DVD re-release since 2002 (a Blu-ray edition is still unavailable). Go is continuing its trend of embracing new frontiers with Blu-ray and being one of the first flicks available under Netflix’s Instant Streaming services. With many ways of viewing – witty, thoughtful, fun, and quick – don’t stop from seeing Go.

Verdict: With Us
Three Stars out of Four

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