Go 1999 ****

Bridging the gap in Doug Liman’s progress from indie kid (Swingers) to blockbuster director (The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs Smith), Go is one of the few Pulp Fiction-style films that really works. Three stories are interlaced in time via John August’s script, but the central element is a drug deal in LA one Christmas Eve. Sarah Polley plays Ronna, a check out girl who is covering for dealer Simon (Desmond Askew) and when two customers hit her up for pills, decides to make some money by trying her luck as his profession. She’s quickly out of her depth in her interaction with professional dealer Todd (Timothy Olyphant). Intercut with Ronna’s problems are Simon’s trip to Las Vegas and the adventures of Ronna’s customers Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zack (Jay Mohr), with August’s script cleverly drawing the disparate threads back together. Go has energy, neat performances, an original idea and plenty of off-beat notions; the story might be about teenagers looking for cheap thrills, but Liman’s film is an adrenaline rush for all ages to enjoy.