RUN LOLA RUN A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
In an age of sardonic titles, writer and director Tom Tykwer's RUN LOLA RUN (LOLA RENNT) refreshingly means precisely what it says. Lola, played with unbounded energy in an utterly captivating performance by Franka Potente, does exactly that, run almost the entire movie. And we're not talking about merely some yuppie jogging -- Lola looks like she's in training for Olympic sprints. Well, she would if it were not for her black combat boots, her sea green, checked pants, her powder blue tank top and her piece de resistance, hair dyed bright reddish-orange.
With heavy music that pulsates to the same fast-paced beat as the storyline, the movie literally flies by you. One blink in this SLIDING DOORS on steroids, and you've missed two scenes and three key events. In fact, the story's funniest parts happen in little subplots that zip by so fast that they are almost impossible to follow. Suffice it to say that this is a enormously fun film that will not put you to sleep -- in fact it has the effect of several large cups of heavily caffeinated coffee.
"The ball is round," a man declares in the film's opening. "The game lasts 90 minutes. Everything else is theory." He then kicks a soccer ball into the heavens, and movie is off and running like a sprinter after the blast from a starter's pistol. With MTV-style jump cuts, split screens and light-speed zooms, Mathilde Bonnefoy's editing and Frank Griebe's cinematography are two of the stars of this hyperactive motion picture, with heavy emphasis on the word "motion." There is even an animated version of the ever-running Lola that makes a few appearances.
As we meet Lola, she is answering the phone. It seems that she just missed a very important rendezvous, in which she was supposed to pick up her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), a bagman for some very bad dudes. He panicked when she didn't show up and left his bag of 100,000 deutsche marks on the subway, where a homeless man took it. If Manni doesn't come up with 100,000 marks from somewhere by the time the bad guys return in exactly twenty minutes, his life will be in jeopardy.
Lola tells Manni not to worry; she will come up with the money by the deadline. He warns her that, if she doesn't, he will rob the supermarket across the street. Lola then literally bolts out of her apartment and down the stairs before she ever has much of a plan in mind. One thing is certain, she doesn't have time for slow means of transportation, such taxis or bikes, instead she runs like the wind, which gives the whole movie a wonderfully free and energetic spirit. (One can just imagine the casting of the part. After sprinting non-stop for blocks, please halt and read these lines.)
Along the way, we meet a host of minor characters with my favorite being her father, a banker. You've heard of families who complain that all the father ever does is work. Well, her father has a rather unusual solution, which is one of many delicious little stories in this black comedy. The story is structured into three wholly contained alternative versions of what could have happened after Lola heard Manni's plea.
If you've ever been inclined to shake your head when you see someone with hair the color of a piece of fruit, this movie may disabuse you of that notion. As Lola, Franka Potente is as likeable and charming as they come. Even so, one still wonders what she looks like in her natural hair color. One thing is certain; her look in this movie is a perfect match for her character.
RUN LOLA RUN runs a blisteringly fast 1:21. The film is in German with English subtitles. It is rated R for some violence and profanity and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: www.InternetReviews.com
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