Run Lola Run Review
by James Sanford (jamessanford AT earthlink DOT net)August 16th, 1999
RUN LOLA RUN (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed by Tom Tykwer.
With her head of shockingly red hair, she looks like Cyndi Lauper's kid sister after a hard night of clubhopping. But Lola is hardly a girl who just wants to have fun.
Instead, she's desperate to come up with the money to save her less-than-brilliant boyfriend Manni from mutilation at the hands of some gangsters he's ripped off. Time is not her friend, and neither is her banker father, who could easily come up with the cash if he weren't preoccupied with his own personal problems.
What's a girl to do?
That's the set-up of "Run Lola Run," writer-director Tom Tykwer's powerhouse comic thriller that rarely pauses to take a breath as it follows its heroine on a reckless journey toward destiny. The highly charismatic German actress Franka Potente plays Lola, an upper middle class kid who's rejected her comfortable upbringing to mingle with society's less desirable elements, such as Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), a small-time hustler whose attempt at making a big score lands him in big trouble.
Tykwer shows us three different versions of Lola's quest, each one leading to a different denouement. In one of the movie's most inspired asides, Tykwer also offers quick glimpses into the futures of the various people Lola comes into contact with, such as a mom whose shoulder she brushes and a thief who tries to sell her a stolen bicycle. In each case, their interactions with Lola have an enormous impact on the rest of their lives.
With its quick cuts, arty camerawork and flashy editing, "Lola" often looks like vintage MTV. But Tykwer's imaginative screenplay gives the movie substance as well as slick style. Watching the film is like taking three consecutive rides on a rollercoaster: You come away from the experience winded and sweaty but delirious from the adrenalin rush. James Sanford
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