Go

It goes, all right, fast and frenetic and utterly riveting; the only trouble is, nobody seems to have had the vaguest idea of how to stop it--it just kinda peters out. Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers), this kinetic marvel is a beautifully acted ensemble piece (vaguely Tarantinoesque in its reflexive narrative structure and deployment of offhanded violence + quirky humor but by no means emptily derivative) in which an innocent conversation in the back room of a seedy L.A. supermarket sets three parallel stories in motion. Simon (Doug Askew), a Brit expat, asks his 17-year-old coworker Ronna (the sublime Sarah Polley, taking a break from moody Atom Egoyan flicks) to cover his register shift so he can take a road trip to Vegas: story the first involves her decision to cover for Simon vis-a-vis his other job, selling Ecstasy; story the second is about the zany trouble Simon and his buddies find in Sin City; story the third follows the misadventures of Zack (Jay Mohr) and Adam (Scott Wolf), two soap actors working with undercover cops who pressure Ronna to start dealing. Gripping and hilarious by turns, it's the best damn film of the year...until it...suddenly just...kinda...sorta...stops. Cold. Recommended, all the same. (M. D'Angelo)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 4, 2009—Sony, 102 min., R, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's Go features a nice transfer and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Doug Liman and editor Stephen Mirrione, deleted scenes (26 min.), a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), the music videos “New” performed by No Doubt, “Magic Carpet Ride” performed by Phillip Steir, and “Steal My Sunshine” performed by Len, the BD-Live function, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for director Liman's freshman hit.]