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Go [1999]

While most movies about drugs tend to be serious, Go takes a different approach to the subject. It just blew me away when I first saw it. With a strong party atmosphere and interesting plot, it’s really fast-paced and engaging. This is perfectly in sync with the frantic pace of the nineties, the huge popularity of rave parties, and ecstasy. We meet a lot of fun and well-developed characters and learn about their somewhat odd lives. Stylish cinematography with saturated colors and excellent camera-work complete the picture of a well-rounded movie.

Directed by Doug Liman, who also directed Swingers, another cult movie from that decade, Go is an exquisite experience. Especially if you like these crime movies with a bit of zany comedy on top. I feel this is the movie where Doug perfected his skills so aptly applied in his later movies: The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and finally Edge of Tomorrow. Starring Katie Holmes, there are quite a few familiar names here: Timothy Olyphant, William Fichtner, Taye Diggs and fucking Melissa McCarthy.

It is the year of our Lord Satan 1999 and our heroes are slowly emerging from the falling night. Young, restless and ready for anything, they will dabble in sex, drugs and crime throughout one frantic night…

Quentin Tarantino really made a big splash in the nineties with his movies Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. You can definitely feel the same vibe here, with colorful characters thrown in these off-beat situations where tragedy easily transforms into comedy. Of course, juicy elements like sex, drugs and techno added significantly to the overall atmosphere and quality.

Go is just a fun movie, less serious than Trainspotting or Spun. It stands on its own in the sub-genre, not posing as some Tarantino spin-off. Witty dialogue, written by John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) was just hilarious. It felt both real and ludicrous. When you combine this with an unpredictable story with a lot of twists and turns, the only possible answer is yes, you should check out this movie.

Director: Doug Liman

Writer: John August

Cast: Katie Holmes, Sarah Polley, Suzanne Krull, Desmond Askew, Nathan Bexton, William Fichtner

Fun Facts: Although it’s not necessarily the reason for the title, “go” is common slang for speed (Methamphetamine).

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139239/

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