This Forgotten 1999 Thriller Is Dubbed the Best Pulp Fiction After Tarantino

Summary:

• Quentin Tarantino ’s 1994 Pulp Fiction became an instant classic and spawned countless clones and rip-offs.
• Doug Liman’s 1999 Go is rightfully dubbed the best Pulp Fiction after Pulp Fiction.
• 25 years later, Go boasts a 91% Tomatometer score, which is really close to the original Pulp Fiction’s 92%.

In 1994, Quentin Tarantino released his iconic Pulp Fiction — and changed the cinematic landscape forever. For the next few years, many directors attempted to copy the movie’s style and capitalize on its success, making their own brutal sex and drug-fueled crime thrillers filled with random humorous moments and dumb deaths.

But few got it right — and even fewer managed to turn their rip-offs into legends.

Go: Best Pulp Fiction After Pulp Fiction

Today, we mostly know Doug Liman for 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and 2024’s Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal — but back in the day, the director also made the best Pulp Fiction rip-off in history. While blatantly copying Tarantino’s style and approach, Liman created something endearing and unique in its own right.

Just like Pulp Fiction, Liman’s 1999 crime comedy Go tells three intertwining and ultimately bizarre stories out of order: that of a charming cashier who meets the wrong people; a drug dealer living his best life as the world (and hotel) burns around him; and a sweet couple who tries their damndest to help an insane police officer.

Go Earned Its Place on the Pedestal

In the world of Tarantino rip-offs, no one did it better than Go. Say what you will, but Doug Liman made copying into an art — and in our book, Go is the second best Pulp Fiction after Pulp Fiction itself. The half-forgotten 1999 movie earned its place on the pedestal, too, impressing both fans and critics and getting brilliant scores all around.

On Rotten Tomatoes, this comedy crime thriller raked up a well-deserved 91% Critic Score, complimenting it with a 78% Audience Score — and even on the much more demanding IMDb, Go boasts a solid 7.2 score. 25 years later, it still holds its own ground just like Tarantino’s iconic film and proves that a really well-executed and thought-through copy can be miles better than a poorly made original.