Run Lola Run Review
by Michael Dequina (twotrey AT juno DOT com)July 9th, 1999
_Run_Lola_Run_(Lola_Rennt)_ (R) ****
About halfway through the 81 breathless minutes of _Run_Lola_Run_(Lola_Rennt)_, a sense of paralyzing fear came over me. It had nothing to do with what was unfolding onscreen; rather, what had frightened me so was the thought of the inevitable fucked-up American remake, with some "hot" young "star" like Jennifer Love Hewitt as the titular heroine, whose numerous running scenes would provide ample showcase for Hewitt's least bland feature--rather, features.
So until that dark day comes--and it will, I'm sure of it (if I thought of it, at least one Hollywood bigwig already has)--one should savor the flavor and originality of Tom Tykwer's electrifying German action thriller, which was perhaps too outré to earn a spot among the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Not so outrageous, and, admittedly, rather conventional, is Tykwer's setup: Lola (Franka Potente) must somehow come up with 100,000 marks in twenty minutes to save her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) from mobsters.
Tykwer takes that simple thread and, pardon the pun, runs with it. It's been said before, but the statement "it's like nothing you've ever seen before" couldn't be more true about _Run_Lola_Run_. He uses every trick in the book--animated interludes, lightning-fast edits, still frames, slow motion, you name it--and perhaps even a few more to capture the adrenalized anxiety of Lola's desperate quest. My description makes the film sound like it's all flash and no substance, but what makes Tykwer's approach so ingenious is how it reinforces and enhances the story rather than distract from it.
This could not be more the case than with one recurring trick that is pulled throughout the film. After Lola encounters certain strangers, the audience sees that character's ultimate fate through a series of Polaroids flashed on the screen; without giving too much away, these destinies change with certain variations in events. (That may not make complete sense, but it does once you see the film.) It's a tongue-in-cheek, seemingly throwaway narrative adornment, but it reflects what the film is really about--not Lola, not her boyfriend, not her run; it's about the different directions life can take, and the little catalysts that can make big changes. The point is eloquently made in the film's pre-credit sequence, where the camera zigzags its way through a crowd of people, stopping at random people as a faceless narrator ruminates on how the questions and so-called answers in life are perhaps one and the same.
That summation makes _Run_Lola_Run_ sound heavyhanded, pretentious, and perhaps overreaching, but that theme doesn't hit one over the head while watching the film, which has the sense to take itself less-than-seriously. (Case in point: Lola's literally shattering screams.) First and foremost, it is a thrill ride, as exciting and suspenseful an action film as one is likely to see all year long--with a minimum of violence and bloodshed. That the film also holds up to a deeper thematic analysis after the fact makes it an even more impressive accomplishment.
Michael Dequina
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
