Review of Run Lola Run (1998) by Dillinger P — 12 Jun 2015

I love simple films, sometimes the best concepts are so straight forward and relatable that the entire film can become so over powering. I also love art house movies, especially euro cinema, its daring, full on, fresh, exciting.

Although Run Lola Run has all of these traits, it suffers the biggest flaw a film could, what was the fuckin point? Lola gets a phone call from her hysterical boyfriend, explaining how a drug exchange for a gang leader, went right close to perfect, until he managed to lose the money, thus leaving Lola 20 minutes in which to make her way to him, hopefully sorting the problem out on route.

No i'll try not to spoil it for those of you who have yet to see it but the films main problems are its highly predictable, its visually inconsistant and morally has no idea what it wants to achieve.

There are a bunch of small characters who the film feels the need to shoe horn in, just to show how different scenarios could alter their lives, okay, quirky but these characters are of no substance or interest and most of them have very little to do with the outcome of the film.

Which is the biggest let down of any film, I've seen in quite some time. At first I was enjoying its quirky, quick cut, mixed approach, its flashy and fast paced, it contextually makes sense, however once Lola actually starts running, it becomes bogged down with far too much needless dialogue and moments that need not exist.

There are messages dotted about here and there, about the couples life style and what would they do without each other but nothing every becomes of it, this is mainly down to the way in which the film decides to structure itself.

It actually almost had me clapping half an hour in as I thought that the film makers may actually have the balls to completely do something so special new and completely unseen. But they pussy out, leaving you watching the same events, unfold time after time, only marginally different from the time before.

It becomes a choir to watch and eventually turns completely stupid, defying all laws of physics and actual chance. The films like a preacher with no heart and soul. luckily the movie has at times a really lovely and polished look to it, the camera work is at times extremely well crafted and with the bouncing score over the top, it gives the film a pulse and a life.

Then there are moments when either a completely different camera or grade is used for 1 scene, fine does it add anything? No, meaning that it doesnt asthetically look solid all the way through. I would have much rather had 1 of the first 2 insane options, fleshed out a bit more and dealt with a bit more care than the outcome we get.

This film feels highly over rated, hugely dissapointing and hilarious, when it shouldnt be. Despite its major flaws, the film manages to throw enough at the viewer to keep them present and aware for a run time of 1 hour and 20 minutes but by the end you really would have rather it been a short film, tighter, more honed in and wonderfully crafted, than over bloated and flat.