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Run Lola Run
Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Franka Potente
Genre:
Foreign
Run Time: 81 min.
Release Date:
June 1999
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
RUN LOLA
RUN is one of those films that actually delivers what it promises.
In this case, a heart-pumping, action-filled flick with an excellent
soundtrack, and plenty of artistic weirdness to boot.
Clocking in at a mere 81 minutes, this German-made film is infused with
a quality normally seen in the cars this country produces. Tom Tykwer
wrote the script and directs (as well as contributing his voice and
music to several songs/remixes), and gives us a movie that contains more
than just artsy material. He takes the viewer on a journey of
existentialism thanks to the unusual abilities of its main character,
Lola. She’s a dye-dipped redhead with a high-pitched, soprano voice that
can shatter glass. And she has the ability to change her future. Problem
is, though, every time she changes something, everything changes, not
just the one thing she wants. So when her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz
Bleibtreu, MUNICH),
loses 100,000 Deutsche marks that are owed to a local mob boss, Lola has
to save him. But she’s only got 20 minutes, and everything doesn’t go as
planned ...the first time. Or the second. Or maybe even the third.
Not being very familiar with German cinema, I’d rarely watched anything
from this country. But I’d often heard people comment on Run Lola
Run and how great it was, so I decided to check it out. And I’m
glad I did! The film opens up with a bang and doesn’t stop until the
final scene.
Franka Potente
stars as the hair-color-enhanced Lola, and her portrayal is believable,
beautiful, and bizarre. In short, a great combination. Her boyfriend,
Manni (Bleibtreu) and his ridiculous behavior is pulled off well,
especially when he loses the money and calls Lola in a blubbering panic.
I loved, too, the incorporation of overlapping animation, something I
enjoyed in the movie THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTER BOYS.
Connections within connections is the main theme here, but one that is
brought to life by a vivid script and excellent camera work (the
dizzying slow-downs and speed-ups may drive some to distraction but are
vital to the story).
I mentioned earlier the great soundtrack and that the director
contributed his own voice and songs to it. And so did Franka Potente.
The European beats mixed with old American titles were laid down in
topnotch fashion.
This is another foreign film gem, and one that won’t take up much of
your time. But it’s one you’ll be glad you visited.
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Image from Run Lola Run
DVD cost: $9.32
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
This film contains about
1581 transitions (edits, dissolves, fades, wipes, etc) in 71 minutes of
action (excluding the credit, and pre-credit sequences). This equates to
an Average Shot Length of about 2.7 seconds. Interestingly, the editing
is relatively slower towards the end of the film. For most contemporary
films, the opposite is the norm.
Movie Quote: "Help
me, Lola! I don't know what to do!"
Other Actors/Actresses
from Run Lola Run
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