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Lola rennt (1998)

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649 comments in total

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105 out of 123 people found the following comment useful :-
Technically Stunning, 14 April 2002

Author: Nick Smart (nick_smart85@hotmail.com) from Gold Coast, Australia

Tom Tykwer has truly proven himself as the filmmaker to watch. The little known German director has produced a modern-day masterpiece; a dazzling technical film about how life consists of the decisions we make.

Lola (Franka Potente) receives a phone call from her boyfriend, Manni. (Moritz Bleibtreii) Manni accidentally leaves a bag carrying $100 000 on a train, which is picked up by a homeless man. This leaves Manni in quite a predicament. He is supposed to deliver the money to a gangster by noon, if he fails, then he is likely to be killed. Lola has twenty- minutes to save his boyfriend. Twenty short minutes to somehow find the money and get it to him.

Run Lola Run is a film you expect to see at a Independent film festival, or in a Professor's office at a film school. In no way do I mean that in a negative way, I mean not to intend that the film is of a lower standard with lower production values, rather that the film is a beautifully mastered technical film that uses every filmmaking technique in the book. It is refreshing to see a film like this in the midst of the commercialised, dry-cut, 'traditional' filmmaking that we see on the silver screen so regularly.

As stated before, the film attempts to use a wide range of filmmaking techniques to help get the director's meaning and vision across to the audience. Some of these include speed-up, instant replay, black and white, and even animation in some parts.

It may sound strange, but the film is twenty-minutes long. Well, not really, but it is in context. Tykwer focuses on the twenty-minutes that Lola has, and shows that twenty-minutes three times over, each time with small differences will affect the outcome of the characters. The danger with this kind of technique is that it can threaten to be repetitive. However, the new additions added by Tykwer are very clever and link in perfectly, which will have you gasping for more.

Tykwer wrote and directed this film, and while doing this, he never lost sight of his meaning. His meaning that he is trying to express is that life consists of the decisions we make. While watching the film, this becomes increasingly evident. He also likes to emphasise that time is against Lola during the film. This can be seen when a young woman walks past and Lola asks her for the time, the next shot shows a much older woman answering her question, hence showing the importance of time.

Franka Potente gave a good performance as Lola. Yet, it is hard to say that she was fantastic, because it is a role that requires a great deal of physical acting and we didn't get to know a lot about Lola, hence the film wasn't overly-focusing on her issues, rather her boyfriend's problem. The real standout performance from my point of view came from Moritz Bleibtreii. He actually took on a quite challenging role and pulls it off successfully. He achieves his objective of getting the audience to feel sympathy for the position that he is in.

Run Lola Run is without a doubt, one of the best technical films ever made. A profound, exciting, new age masterpiece that has well and truly left its mark on the film industry.

Five out of Five.

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78 out of 96 people found the following comment useful :-
Riveting action, dynamic sound track, and brilliant editing had me hooked from the first frame., 27 June 1999

Author: ecto-3 from San Diego, CA

The concepts are simple. How do our actions affect our own lives, as well as those whom we touch? What part do chance and random events play in determining an outcome? Can we select a different result by making different choices? In short, what is reality? Well, maybe it isn't all that simple, but while others have plowed these same fertile fields, as recently as the film "Go", and also in "The Music of Chance", based on Paul Auster's novel, no one has dealt with such cosmic existential questions with more brilliant originality, fast paced action, and a pulsing score than in this German cinematic masterpiece.

In a compact ninety minutes, combining snips of animation, cinema verité, quirky characters, situations and dialogue, and a pace that makes most music videos look like they've been filmed in slow motion, three versions of the same story sequence unfold, and each time conclude with a jolting finish that defies convention, and keeps the viewer guessing until the final frame.

This is one of those rare cinematic events that is entertaining, satisfying, and absorbing, as well as flawlessly acted, staged, edited, produced and directed. I thought that Lola ran her race with flair and style, and left all others way behind in the dust.

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65 out of 74 people found the following comment useful :-
A breathtaking, action-packed love story..., 15 January 2001
Author: (kgx311@yahoo.com) from Sacramento, CA

Run Lola Run is a riveting, heart (and pavement) pounding epic choose-your-own-adventure. Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Run Lola Run is the story of a girl, Lola, who receives a panicked phone call from her longtime boyfriend, Manni. Manni owes a mobster 100,000 marks and doesn't know what to do. Lola, desperate to save his life, reassures him that she can get the money to him by noon, when he must meet the mobster (that means, she has twenty minutes), or else Manni would rob a grocery store. From that moment on, the movie takes us through three stories of Lola's trials trying to get Manni's money in 20 minutes - and with every person she comes into contact with, their lives take on completely different forms, as shown by 30-second photo flash montages. On an originality scale, this film ranks a ten. Franka Potente, the actress that portrays our flame-haired heroine, does an exceptional job. From the first frame the film plunges into action and adventure with breakneck speed, and we find ourselves cheering for Lola right to the end.

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74 out of 101 people found the following comment useful :-
Best German suspense and action film ever made, 17 August 1998

Author: Marcel Bülles (marcel.buelles@uni-koeln.de) from Cologne, Germany

'Lola rennt' by Tom Twyker is the final step for German film-making towards a professionality and technical perfection that used to be Hollywood's alone.

80 mins. of brilliantly shot action will keep the viewer enthralled with the love story of Manni and Lola who have to fight against time: 20 mins. to be exact. It is 11.40 a.m. and Manni who is into smuggling diamonds across Eastern European borders has to turn over 100.000 DM at 12 o'clock sharp to Ronni, a 'gangster' par excellence, who would kill anyone for stealing a bottle of beer from him.

Unfortunately, Manni forgot the money in the tram and is now more desperate than ever. He calls the one person who has always taken care of him: the love of his life, Lola. She asks Manni to wait for her as he is going to rob the 100.000 DM from one the shops in town as he knows that turning up at Ronni's without the money would be his immediate death. Lola starts running immediately thinking of a million different ways how to help the man who is the most important person in her life and she runs and runs.....

The quality of cuts and camera shots, innovative techniques at the top of modern filming practically unknown to German viewers up to now will hopefully make 'Lola rennt' a blockbuster in the cinemas as it fully deserves it.

Like 'Der Himmel über Berlin' (City of Angels', Ryan, Cage') and 'Bandits' this film is surely to be copied by Hollywood. A symbol of the emerging new strength and innovative qualities of German film-making. You HAVE to see it :))

The world-premier screening on 15th August, Cologne, Germany at the chocolate-museum Open-Air-Cinema had a 1,000-strong audience screaming and laughing, breaking into applause on several scenes as the story unfolded. The director and the actors and actresses were present and will have been delighted by the spontaneous reactions of the audience proving this film to be one modern masterpiece of film-making.

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53 out of 63 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best circular narratives!, 7 May 2003
Author: emma502 from iowa city, iowa

This modern German film from 1999,that was so stunning and brilliantly edited won many awards at the Sundance Film Festival. The audience was taken away on this fast pace exhilarating ride which in turn warrants those watching to think about the circular narrative and its elements. All elements of the film including soundtrack and opening credits are incorporated into this them of a story being told through three different threads and three different experiences. The opening credits are displayed in cartoon form, as well as some of the traveling/running that Lola (Franka Potente) does through out the film. The soundtrack fills the film with a fast paced feeling and adds to the heart-pumping adrenalin rush that element of limited time creates. Fast camera angles, the use of panning, the incorporation of cartoons, the use of outdoor scenery ( no sound stage used), and close face shots are some of the main filming techniques used to make what I can only describe as an MTV video style of film making. The use of high speed camera shows areas of the plot that remains constant while the hi 8 camera is used in portions of the plot that changes in each of the 3 episodes. Also the use of red tinting shows a difference from real life and inside the characters thoughts. The audience is placed into the middle of the plot, there is no real introduction to the main characters, Lola and Manni, ( Moritz Bleibtreu) until after the main crisis of a loss of a bag filled of money that is suppose to be in the hands of a crook/ gangster with in the next 20 min from the time of the main character's conversation. This discussion is repeated 3 times until the characters successfully complete the task that lays before them. They either have to produce a replacement bag of money, or find the missing sack. In each of the 3 episodes the same characters are present as well as the same events but they either are incorporated or interact differently. For example, each episode has glass shattering. If the red ambulance does not crash through glass that is being carried across a main highway, then glass is broken by Lola screaming. Each episode also has elements of time, breaking of time, the different use of fire arm, running, and the use of the same script by the characters. The episodes are broken apart by either Manni or Lola dying, and in these deaths the audience is brought into the head of the characters to where they talk of love, life, death and loss. The audience is shown a place where the characters have a choice, which in turn is how they can relive the same morning events. This allows the audience to discover new interactions amongst the characters, discover new pieces of each story and how fit into one overall tapestry of a day in the characters lives. This film grabs the audience from the very beginning and proceeds to take them on an intense ride filled with lows and highs. One that can be watched over and over again due to the lack of information or images that is constantly being discovered. The complex and layered tale that unfolds in Run Lola Run is amazingly and almost unbelievably made better through the editing, film footage style, and soundtrack. The unusually dramatic images and different style than other films of the latter 90's sets Run Lola Run in a class of it's own

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62 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
best german film to date, 11 October 2001

Author: Thomas Altmann from Germay

"Lola Rennt" is probably the best german film to date! I've seen it a couple of times now and each time it is as fascinating as it was when I first saw it on the big screen.

The most stunning thing about this movie is the fast pace that is maintained through all aspects of the film: the sound, the music, the camera perspectives, the editing, etc. Plus Franka Potente does an excellent job to underline this effect.

But to be honest: "Lola Rennt" is no film for the casual moviegoer who just wants to see another mainstream movie as we so often see it in Hollywood movies. It is in nearly every aspect different from the average movie and has a lot of stylistic (animated sequences, split-screen, etc) and narrative twists that you won't see in most films today.

Score: 10 out of 10

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50 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
Modern Masterpiece, 12 January 2002
Author: ganstertrippin from Australia

Run Lola Run. What a cool title.

It tells the tale of a young man, Manni, who one day was doing a job for crime boss. The job was just to deliver a bag of money to him with 100000 DM which roughly translates to $20000 or $25000 US. Unfortunatly Manni leaves the money on a train and is totally screwed unless he can get the money back in 20 minutes. So he calls his girlfriend, Lola (and no, she is not the girl from The Fifth Element), for help. From here the film follows Lola choosing three paths, each going for 20 minutes, to getting the money for Manni.

Run Lola Run is a wonderful study of how life consists of the paths we take. Some say there is no right and wrong paths to take in life, but Run Lola Run seems to illustrate that the right path is the best. Franka Potente (Lola) does a wonderful job and must have lost about 10 pounds for all the running she does in this film. But the real star here is Tom Tykwer (the director), who vison for this film is so fantastic and cool.

In terms of coolness, this has to be one of the coolest movies ever made. It contains black and white camera, animation, three or four different types of slow motion, fast motion and the most amazing still shots taken for a film which is enough to keep anyone interested. Plus this film is only 80 minutes long, but luckily it feels about 20 minutes longer than that.

After being one of the most talked about films of 1998, I would safely say that Run Lola Run has inspired a large number of film makers. Run Lola Run is a modern masterpiece and should pave the way for the future of films.

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36 out of 44 people found the following comment useful :-
Right place at the wrong time or wrong place at the right time?, 27 February 2001
Author: K.Sahasranaman from Mumbai,India

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The film has an unusual format in that it presents three versions of a twenty-minute episode. But unlike Kurosawa's RASHOMON these are not different perspectives of the same incident by different eyes. Instead it offers 'It could have been this way, but for…. or if only…' scenarios. The film thus attempts to define what people loosely refer to as the luck factor. Luck, the film tries to say is being at the right place at the right time or even the wrong place at the wrong time. Or it could be the right place at the wrong time, or is it the wrong place at the right time. It is this clever scripting around the space-time permutation, that makes this film such a delight to watch. The scenario, in which the young lovers emerge triumphant and richer, makes out a strong case for being proactive and for taking risk. It is also amusing to see how wrong conclusions can be drawn from partial information. But the film offers more than an interesting case study for management students. Cinema buffs would notice that time compression, which is so common in film idiom is not resorted to…. the action is nearly in true time. The quicksilver editing and the pulsating background score embellish Lola's running and make sure that the repetitions do not get jarring. The film is an unalloyed delight to the mind and the senses.

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32 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
See Lola run, 13 July 2005

Author: jotix100 from New York

Tom Tykwer's clever "Run Lola Run" showed up on cable the other day. We had seen it when it first came out, and frankly, watching it for a second time, it seemed even better than the last time. Mr Tykwer made an excellent impression with this film, which introduced us to this talented director. Having seen "Heaven", and "True", "Lola rennt" is by far a superior effort from Mr. Tykwer.

The premise of the film is a clever one. Lola, in twenty minutes, must solve the mystery in which she is drawn into. At each of this situations, Lola shows great resources about how to help her petty criminal boyfriend, who has lost 100,000 DM, and now must account for the missing money.

Franka Potente is the main reason why this movie works the way it does. She is almost like the cartoon character one sees in the opening credits. Lola, is larger than life, and shows she can do anything she wants because of her resolve. Ms. Potente brings freshness to the role and she totally captivates the viewer in her no-nonsense approach to life, in general. The supporting cast does good work under Mr. Tykwer's direction.

It's a puzzle why Hollywood hasn't made an attempt to remake this film, since the Americans are obsessed with redoing material like "Run Lola Run". Let's hope they don't try!

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31 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Lola Rennt, 26 February 2003
Author: Duncan from australia

Lola rennt or Run Lola Run as we say it, is a German thriller written and directed by Tom Tykwer. This Film will contrast your emotions as it shows you how one little event in somebody's life can change there's, and other peoples lives forever. This rollercoaster ride of emotions will keep you gripped all the way through as it jumps from soft, dimly lit emotional scenes, to the completely contrasting scenes of running and constant action.

The music used in this film complements the scenes very well, when it's a slow scene our ears are graced with soft classical music like when Lola is falling to the ground in a slow motion shot. The complete opposite of this is used in the fast paced running scenes, as we get pounded by constant techno beats. I believe that the director has used techno to try and get us inside Lola's head as she is running and stressing about Manni and all the other events that happen throughout this amazing film.

Lola's Determination to save her boyfriend Manni is very well projected as she enters the bank that her father runs, and throughout the three different versions of the story uses different techniques to try and save him. This involvement with the characters and the three different storylines is very unique to this style of film. I think that the actors have delivered a very memorable and exciting performance which will leave viewers wanting to watch the film over and over again.

I think that this director has used this style of film very well, he is one of this first to successfully use this style and create a very interesting and exciting film. This film is almost the only one of its kind, other than the film 'Sliding Doors' but even in that the character is living two parallel lives but in this film it is replayed over again.

This film used interesting techniques that I had never seen in a film before. I think that the snapshots into the peoples lives gave you a good view of how one little event can change your life forever. By replaying through the same sort of events three times the director lets you really get a sense of feeling for the characters, especially Lola and as the film progresses you actually start to care about the characters and I think this was a really good quality in the film.

Overall I really enjoyed this film, and think that it is one of the best foreign films I have seen in a long time, and would give it a 9/10.

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