Run Lola Run (1999)

Run Lola Run is the type of frenzied arthouse picture that just doesn't get made here in North America. That's really a shame because Run Lola Run is definitley one of the best movies of the year. From a cinematic point of view "Lola" is one of the most creative and energetic films that I have ever seen.

The plot revolves around Lola, a woman who has twenty minutes to save her boyfriend's life from German gangsters. To do this she must miraculously acquire 100,000 Marks.

The film is appropriately titled as Lola really does run for practically the entire film. When she does not succeed in saving her boyfriend the movie cuts back to the opening sequence and the film plays out yet again in an entirely different fashion. The central idea is that small variations in behaviour can change the entire outcome of a situation. This idea was also explored in "Sliding Doors", unfortunately, with far more mixed results.

Eventually the cycle repeats itself three times over the movies one hour twenty minute screen time. Run Lola Run is just bubbling with creative ideas and really is a stunning ride. The action never really lets up (except in a brief bed scene) and is filmed in the kind of frenetic, crazy style that MTV would be proud of. Lola is also extremely funny in many parts especially when the film briefly delves into the future's of various small characters.

This is a perfect little film that stands up to repeated viewings. It is smart, entertaining and is something that is completely unique. Hollywood movies rarely have those three qualities, this German one does.

Catch this superb German film before Hollywood decides to remake it (and believe me, they will). This is cinema in its purest, most kinetic form.

The plot is simple: Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks that her boyfriend Manni owes to drug dealers, otherwise he's going to have to rob a store to get it. And that's it, basically. Only, ingeniously, we are treated to 3 versions of her run (or perhaps alternative universes), events unfolding differently depending on how long it takes her and the choices she makes. The attention to detail is stunning, and every little image and incident is relevant to the taut plotting. A wonderfully choreographed study of time and space.

What we have is a kind of Sliding Doors (or Fowles' French Lieutenant's Woman) meets Pulp Fiction with all the energy and modernity of Trainspotting, mixing drama, tragedy and dark humour. Run Lola Run is a whirlwind race against time as our flame-haired heroine pounds the sidewalks of Berlin, unknowingly initiating traffic accidents, bank heists, uncovering dark family secrets, and changing the lives of the people she encounters on her way (beautifully executed in a series of Polaroid montages) in a complex web of cause and effect.

Furiously paced, and edited, Twyker's masterpiece of Chance bombards us with an entire catalogue of camera tricks, techniques and mediums; split screen, time lapse, animation (in the cartoon sense), anything to grab our attention and immerse us in the situation, and is enhance by an excellent techno soundtrack (composed by Twyker).

Presented on DVD with a decent extras package, Run Lola Run is a rush in every sense of the word from start to finish. (Watch it in German with the English subtitles, however, as the dubbed English soundtrack is dire.)

Buy Run Lola Run (1999) Now

Run Lola Run was the first movie on DVD that I had ever purchased without seeing it first. I based my purchase on the great reviews of the film I had read time and time again. The DVD arrived this week and I was not dissapointed.

The film is only 81 minutes long, and is extremely fast-paced and tense for the entire time. You really have to pay attention during the movie and suspend disbelief for a while to really enjoy this one.

The quality of the DVD transfer is very good. The picture is great, and the sound is outstanding (the film has a good heavy soundtrack). The extras on the disc aren't too exciting, but it is nice to have both German/English language tracks as well as English/French/None subtitles. I thought the english dubbing was done exceptionally well (except for the first scene).

One interesting thing to note is that it is a double sided DVD, with the fullscreen version on one side and the widescreen version on the other side. There is no label on the DVD... only very very tiny print on the innermost rim of the disc. You have to have some good eyes to read it.

I highly recommend this movie. But get it on DVD. It wouldn't be half as good on VHS.

Read Best Reviews of Run Lola Run (1999) Here

RUN LOLA RUN is one of those movies you can literally watch again and again and again. The plotline is fairly simple: a young girl, Lola, must help her boyfriend scrape together 100,000 deutsche marks in 20 minutes, or a ruthless gangster will kill him. The trick is the story is told 3 different ways with 3 different outcomes. Mixing animation, trip-hop/techno music, and fast-paced action/editing, you have a terrific movie with gritty, realistic characters and action that won't stop!

Franka Potente is a star in the making. She's soon to be seen with Johnny Depp in the film BLOW. Can't wait to see what electricity she'll bring to her role there!!

The DVD edition includes a running commentary with the director, Twyker, and Franka Potente. Very interesting to learn how difficult it was for the actors to portray key scenes numerous times and still maintain the tension and fear so important to carrying the storyline.

EXCELLENT!!!

Want Run Lola Run (1999) Discount?

This is clearly one of the most creative films I have ever seen. It was a huge hit at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival and at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and well deserves every award it won. In German, with English subtitles, this is a wild and exciting fast-paced movie that cannot be neatly assigned to a type or genre. Starring Franka Potente as Lola, her unique screen presence defined by her strong body, engaging tattoos and raggedy orange hair, she has a mere 20 minutes to get a large amount of money to her boyfriend so that he won't be killed by the mob. Instead of just showing us one of Lola's approaches, the film gives us three choices, and packs a strong punch with its theme of fate and destiny and how one tiny little move can effect not only the main characters, but also everyone around them. You can literally pick your own ending, each one packed with excitement and ironies.

Most of the film shows Lola running, and as she passes by the same bystanders, their lives are changed in long-ranging ways. The pace of this movie is fast and is a mere 81 minutes long and it didn't lag for one single moment. As a matter of fact, I didn't want to take my eyes off the screen because I didn't want to miss anything. The soundtrack is perfect to accompany all the running, and the director, Tom Tykwer, uses a great mix of animation, still photography, slow motion and some very unusual camera shots. Never, once, however did the film sink into just a palette for showing off his artistry. The story and the characters were foremost and the audience is held captive, their hearts beating, as they join Lola in her run. Recommended. Don't miss it!

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