Review of Run Lola Run (1998) by Rick A — 28 Mar 2011

Run Lola Run is the ultimate tale of fate and the power of love in one hell of a cinematic roller coaster ride of sights, sounds, and some of the best directing I've ever seen.

The incredibly lovely Franka Potente stars as Lola, the girlfriend of Manni (played very well by the talented Moritz Bleibtreu) who has just lost 100,000 Deutschmarks which he needs in 20 minutes or else the gangster, which that money was supposed to go to, is going to fuck Manni up. In an impossible but passionate attempt, Lola tries her best to get Manni that money in time. This extremely fast paced and magical story is told with extreme creativity and originality. It's not the kind of epic movie that goes into the history of the characters, but it presents their emotions very well. Franka Potente is incredable in this movie. Lola can be fierce, strong, vulnerable, and the most beautiful woman in the world all at once. Though this movie is merely 80 minutes long, it expresses it's themes in a very unique way, played perfectly with strong and interesting performances.

Tom Tykwer isn't the biggest name in movie directing, and he didn't have a lot of experience, but his visionary and complex filming style is perfect all every aspect. Where do I begin? First, this movie is like an MTV music video. The techno music in this movie is incredibly creative, making the feeling of the movie feel very original as well. It's creative and heart pulsing beats are mixed with just as brilliant editing that not only flows with the music, but captures many of the different perspectives shot into a crazy flow of different sounds, music and imagry. Tom Tykwer was sure to shoot this movie from many different angles in many different ways. The camera sure was used to it's potential in this movie. From bird's eye view, to fast tracking shots from above and below, and many different angles in many different locations in the city of Berlin to other locations under many different forms of light. The look of the rooms, the sets, the lighting, every shot of cinematography is a form of art, especially with the movie's theme of "fate is like a roulette wheel", so you'll see a lot of reds, blacks and greens emphisized in the movie. I can't mention all the brilliant details, but for one more mention, the movie also mixes the different film types used, mixing both 35mm and 8mm films for maximum moviemaking flavour.

Run Lola Run isn't a long movie which restricts it from being a tale of epic preportions, but the way this movie is written and made is epic all in itself. Run Lola Run is original, powerful, enjoyable, and the finest example of masterful moviemaking which goes to show you that it's not about quantity, it's about quality, and Run Lola Run's quality is beyond imaginable.