Run Lola Run

Another film from 1999 (it was released in Europe in '98) that played with time was Run Lola Run, a German film by Tom Tykwer. In fact, it was three different versions of the same story, structured like a video game, which at that time had a customary three lives per player.

The premise is that a low-level criminal (Moritz Bliebtreu) has sold some drugs but left the bag of money on the train, where it was taken by a homeless man. He calls his girlfriend, Lola (Franka Potente), asking her to help him. She has twenty minutes to arrive with 100,000 marks.

Then, in three segments, we see her in action. She decides to ask her father, a banker, for the money. He is about to leave the family to run off with a co-worker. As Lola navigates the streets, little details are important to notice, as each time the "game" is played, things turn out differently.

This is a film full of energy. Tykwer directs with every palette in the box, including animation and editing that may give you seizures. The most enduring image, though, is Potente, her hair dyed an unnatural red, striding through the streets on black army boots. I got tired just watching her.

Each segment ends differently. The first two don't end well for the leads, but in the third the game is one (notably, it is through playing roulette at a casino).

I found Run Lola Run enjoyable but a bit thin even at 79 minutes--any longer and it could have been produced a headache. Interspersed between the action scenes are bits between the lovers where they question their love for one another, which I suppose is to give the characters more depth, but instead just serve as breathers.

Tykwer's career never lived up to the promise of Run Lola Run. He's still working--his last two films were Cloud Atlas and A Hologram For The King, neither of which didn't set the world on fire.