RUN LOLA RUN (LOLA RENNT) **** (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup and Armin Rhode Director-Tom Tykwer Rated 14A Released June 1999 Sony Pictures Classics
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`Run Lola Run', a German import that gained a stellar reputation at the Sundance Film Festival, is a dazzling and kinetic film that deals with the subjects of fate and chance. For a berserk and retroactive 81 minutes of non-stop movement, we follow a fiery-haired heroine named Lola (Franka Potente) as she sprints to save her boyfriend from the clutches of drug dealers. Lola has roughly twenty minutes to somehow retrieve 100,000 marks in time to save Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) from being killed by the dealer. But, in something of a pseudo- `Groundhog Day' approach, director Tom Tykwer gives Lola three separate chances to best navigate her way toward the goal. In these trio of episodes, we gradually learn the unique effects of fate, for even if tiny changes are made in Lola's journey, the future can be seriously altered.
`Run Lola Run' is an experience like `Fight Club' or `The Matrix', in that each film takes you through a super-charged wormhole of bending reality in surreal and exciting ways. In addition, all three movies have a visual style that separates them from the rest of the pack. `Lola' is no exception, with stylish quick-flash camera work and cinematography that serves as scintillating eye candy from the get-go. Tykwer's world is a landscape of mood and color, with brilliant shades of red and pink (including Lola's fiery hair) used as effective symbolism throughout. With it's visual style and mind-blowing pace, `Run Lola Run' is one of the more invigorating movies of the year. Even more so when considering the fact it's all stuffed rather nonchalantly into an 81-minute time period.
As a heroine, Potente does little more than run wildly through the streets (as the title suggests), but she has a certain flair and charisma. Her exemplary running form made me wonder if she is actually a track star. Meanwhile, Bleibtreu does an equally fantastic job of bringing the dopey but passionate Manni to life. Both actors perform beyond the call of duty. The dazzling fun comes from predicting what each episode holds in store for Lola, and the outcome is ultimately rewarding - several twists and turns are unique and unexpected. The other characters Lola runs into (both purposely and inadvertently) include her banker father (Herbert Kraup) and a friendly security guard (Armin Rohde), but aside from the two leads, no one has more than a few minutes of screen time. Additional stars that couldn't possibly be ignored are cinematographer Frank Griebe and editor Mathilde Bonnefroy, who are both responsible for the film's eye-catching visual elegance.
`Run Lola Run' is subtitled, so be prepared to meet the challenge of reading the lightning-fast dialogue - occasional sections of it are especially fast. This is only one of the minor chores involved in watching. The other is the sense that we never get to really recognize who the real people are in this hyperactive situation. Most are just chess pieces in Tykwer's elaborate game of visual presentation, and he never really makes a significant move with any. But, the average viewer is likely to be so absorbed in the action that few will realize the lack of potency in a few elements of the screenplay. A few petty gripes aside, this film is a wild, exhilarating ride that turns maniacally on its wheel of originality.
Most people believe foreign films are mainly boring, talky character studies. Perhaps `Run Lola Run' will recharge their batteries. Not only does this film offer insight into some intriguing questions of fate and destiny, it also delivers a white-knuckle visual rollercoaster ride of overwhelming audacity. Like how the experience must have been for the persistent title character, `Run Lola Run' is exhausting.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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