Run Lola Run Review
by "Jon Ridge" (jonridge AT earthlink DOT net)July 21st, 1999
5. " Run Lola Run " * * 1/2
Once the technique - same scenario, three different ways has been established, RUN LOLA RUN loses its novelty effect. Thatıs unfortunate, as Tom Tykwerıs tale of lovers against the clock, I think, had some degree of potential. Then again, what more is actually going on, here, than device? Lola (Franka Potente) is given a very specific deadline by her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreau): show up at a phone booth downtown with 100,000 deutsche marks in exactly 20 minutes, or he will rob a supermarket across the street. He owes this sum which was hastily left behind by him on a subway train to a gangster, forget why, whom he fears will kill him if not produced. Lola insists (screams, actually) that he not do anything rash, and vows to come up with the money, somehow, on her own in time to save him. What follows is a series of montages with red-haired Lola running furiously down the streets of Berlin, seeking out her father for a loan, and the several different outcomes of various strangers she encounters along the way.
I enjoyed the filmmakerıs style, up to a point, using smash- cuts and animation and continuous techno music to create a dizzying, breathless atmosphere. It works, invigorates us, and then quickly fizzles. Why? The film is a mere 80-something minutes long, and shouldıve been able to sustain its energy. But, somehow, it doesnıt. One too many "and, then.." segments, perhaps; or, little to no actual character arc (though, how much can one reasonably expect from this premise). I found myself not caring in the least whether or not Lola would make it to her destination as scheduled, or the outcome of a subplot involving her father and his mistress, while at the same time admiring the filmıs construction. Flip- flopping time lines are always intriguing, and RUN LOLA RUN is playful in this regard. My favorite sequences are the purgatory- esque ones between Lola and Manni, after one of them has been killed; the dialogue is simple and contemplative when all we do is lay in bed and listen to these characters speculate on the importance, one way or another, of their relationship. There is also a rather feverish scene in a casino, which contains the single funniest line of dialogue, and acts as a sort of culmination for every ounce of steam the film has spent its time working up. More often than not, though, the film refuses to rest. Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but after a while I just got antsy: see the old lady on the phone who needs shampoo; see Lola run; watch as the street people have their fates altered depending on whether cartoon Lola can avoid the dog on the staircase. The film explores almost every single angle of the plot, leaving nothing to question about any of it, until all weıre left with is inventive editing. Had RUN LOLA RUN been half as ingenious with its story, as it is, for the most part, with its storytelling, this couldıve been a remarkable achievement.
Best line: comes when Lola is trying to get in to the casino; she asks how this works, and the clerk says something along the lines of, "You put money down for chips, and then gamble it away."
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