User reviews

"Run Lola Run" is one of the most fun, involving, stylish movies I've seen in a long time. The suspense is high from the get-go, with Lola's boyfriend Manni phoning her to say that if he doesn't get 100,000 deutsche marks within 20 minutes, a gangster will kill him. Immediately, Lola sets off running through Berlin in a frantic attempt to locate the money. The fun part is that we see Lola's journey three times with three very different outcomes, determined by little things that happen to Lola as she runs.

Lola (the engaging Franka Potente) manages to be both an iconic, super-cool heroine, and a believable young woman who just wants to get her boyfriend out of trouble. IMDb ratings show that this is the rare action movie that appeals to girls more than to guys, probably because Lola is such a strong character.

This is exhilarating film-making, with a propulsive soundtrack, a fast pace, and many flashy effects like animated and black-and-white sequences--in addition to the most stunning use of split-screen that I've ever seen. Incredibly for such a young director, these techniques are employed with great assurance. I also like how although the film is "hip" and sometimes amused by the crazy things that happen to people, it's never cynical. Instead, there's a sweet optimism to it, a faith in karma and love.

Occasionally, "Run Lola Run" is a bit too clever for its own good. The rapid-fire montages that show the fates of minor characters are superficially amusing, but unnecessarily hammer home the theme that "little things can have a huge effect on a person's life." However, the movie's philosophies are still ambiguous enough that there's a lot to think about when it's over. Furthermore, "Run Lola Run" is an extraordinarily good time; it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen whenever Lola's on it.

Run Lola Run is a very original film in its premise, it guarantees entertainment to the spectator from beginning to end, the film requires the spectator's full attention and because it is short, I suggest not to pause or divert focus, because I believe this film is made so you get lost between Lola's runs, in the end you end up staying what now? What comes next, and then, unfortunately, the movie ends.

One thing I found funny is that Lola never gets tired and doesn't even want to pant, maybe the production should have paid a little attention to this detail since it's the title of the film.

I believe it served as the inspiration for The Butterfly Effect (another classic), the plot is not so deep and fails to explain several things, a problem that would not exist if the film were bigger or had a sequel.

Despite this, the soundtrack, setting, photography, editing, guarantee the adrenaline and action of the film.

This highly watchable, original and amusing German movie started a renewed interest in German cinema worldwide, and was followed by a number of gems. In itself, it has made a lot of contributions to movie storytelling, and its commercial and critical success is spot on.

I have seen the movie several times, and each time I find new details and nuances that add to the story and the movies as an audiovisual delight. Friends of mine introduced me to the sound track at first on a high quality stereo system. It was amazing. I went home and ordered the CD. I am no great fan of techno music but that first track made me hold my breath because of its beauty. It felt like sitting in a cathedral and listening to a simple choral. I know, awkward comparison, but...

A few observations of my own.

Lola's first "run" reveals that her father believes she is not his biological daughter, calls her a "cuckoos egg". And it's quite possible, since we see her mom in all 3 "runs" talking on the phone with someone other than her husband. Lola is devastated. All three "runs" feature the bank security guard, trying to calm down Lola, giving her support. Every time they have intense eye contact, some silent understanding. He once even greets her with "Da bist du ja, Liebling" ("there you are, darling"). Quite strange for a bank employee to call his boss' daughter that, don't you think? We also see early on that he might have a heart condition.

In the last story segment, we see the guard again, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Lola caught a ride, for a change, to her meeting destination with Manni. Miraculously, the guard's heart condition improves as his hand reaches toward Lola's. The medic, at first annoyed ("what the heck are you doing here?") is puzzled. Lola's answer to his question, as she reaches for the guard's hand is: "Ich gehoer zu ihm." Very important, I think. Call me silly, but somehow I have this feeling that he might be her illegitimate father. As bank employee he might well have had contact with Lola's mother, and even time to have an affair with her, considering the workaholic dad being gone so much.

"Ich gehoer zu ihm" is badly translated in the subtitles as "I'll stay with him" while the German would better translate into "I belong to him." And that is something Lola could well have realized after her dad abandoned her with the accusation of being a cuckoo's egg.

The guard is also in the beginning of the movie quoting famous soccer coach Sepp Herberger's "the ball is round". It's in the league with Yogi Berra's famous word creations. The ball is round meant for Herberger, that anything can happen as long as the game is on. Expect the unexpected. Since this is a movie that wants the viewer to "think" about possibilities, why not go all the way?

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.

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.

People seem to get to easily impressed by films these days. No, I'm not a grouch, and I did like this film. Quite a bit actually, even though I'd basically seen the same film a few years ago: D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner, an HK film, predates Lola and is quite similar for the running throughout the film to live/save life etcetera aspect. Not to mention films like Flirt which deal with the same roles in different situations or Sliding Doors with the 'what if...?' aspect.

So this film, though interesting, was hardly new. It takes ideas already seen and twists them just a little bit. But it lacks the characterization and plot that made those other films so interesting. We learn very little about Lola, just a few snippets from her encounters with her 'father' and the bed sequences with her boyfriend, who we learn even less about. And the plot is all about cinematography and film style, there's little essence to it. In other words, it's eye candy and little more.

What that means is that we see great colour with little flavour. Experimentation with technique and style, sometimes it works other times it gets quite sloppy, and not enough attention to fine detail or story. (the cartoon part is cool though). And I would have liked a less Hollywood ending from a film that tries so hard to be contemporary and non-Hollywood.

Overall: Fun to watch. Some of the experimentation really worked. It's hardly a classic though, not even a terribly solid film. But it's interesting, and doesn't drag *too* much. I almost gave it a 6 but relented and instead give it a 7/10.

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.

I really didn't get the movie... or at least yearned for more substance which may have been missing entirely. OK, so there are different realities out there, all dependent on the choices we make. WOW! Was that a stoned thought or what? Duh!! For this reason, I found the movie much too slow moving, despite the hammering soundtrack.

I was more interested in the details of the movie.. where they symbolic or is simply "what you see is what you get?" For instance, why was the first bag of money red plastic, the second one blue, the third gold? Why did the van crash through a plate of glass? Was it just cool looking? Why use animation for Lola going down the stairs?

It's not that I always am looking for some deep film experience, I still felt disappointed that the movie didn't have more to it. The plot was much too slow moving and I got really tired of watching "Lola run" OK, I got it...I got it!

Is that all there is to Lola?

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!

But let's not go overboard. The plot and pacing brought the movie Go to mind immediately. But "Lola" is a bit undernourished in the plot department. "Go" had more plot, more panache, and more humor. Not that I should take anything away from Run Lola Run, but it is far from the epic some here make it out to be.

'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.

I think this is a good one-time movie but certainly not top 250 caliber.

Allow me to explain:

We, the audience, are suddenly plunged into Lola's plight almost immediately. Although this provides for an exciting and fast-paced movie, it does NOT help me identify with the characters. Throughout the movie I felt stuck on the outside looking in on some random girl running around.

Some of the shots are very artistic and the plot, though nothing extraordinary, is conveyed in a way that is unique and stylish. I would even go as far to say that "Run, Lola, Run" explores some issues that are quite complex. For example, how slight modifications in chance events can shape the future. But such issues are merely a side note in the movie and not the driving force.

So see it but don't expect it to be #93 out of your top 250 list. Oh, and be sure to bring popcorn, and be sure to eat it quick 'cuz the movie won't last long!

"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

This is one of the more inventive movies of the last decade, I would think. It was new, fresh and very different when it came out in the late '90s and still is unique and enjoyable as of this review in early 2006.

It's short - 81 minutes - but plenty long when you consider it's three versions of the same story, each version about 25 minutes after an opening introduction.

That may sound too repetitive or boring for those who haven't seen this, but it is anything but overplayed thanks to the innovative camera-work and interesting angles on the same story. Watching it on DVD was better than the theater because the 5.1 sound is superior, plus you have the option of a good dubbed version or the original German with English subtitles. I use either, depending on my mood but I lean toward the German with subtitles.

Franke Potente, who has since gone on to become better known around the world from the "Bourne" films, is the centerpiece of this film and very, very interesting. The looks of shock on her face, her flaming red hair and wild general appearance and the crazy things that happen to her are always fun to watch and hear.

Added to the unique cinematography, which includes tricks here and there, is a pulsating electronic soundtrack that brings added life to this already kinetic, involving film.

The high rating I give this film could really be summed up in two words: DIFFERENT and FUN.

Apparently an iconic German classic, this is very fast and gets straight to the point. The sound design keeps the pace up and doesn't let the movie slow down. 81 mins long, and three 20 min 'loops' (or are they loops?) Nothing less, nothing more. Very well done for a 1998 movie. People have their own interpretation of what's going on in the movie, so if you're into 'different'/ experimental movies, you should surely check this out. Mainstream movie lovers may not like this one.

Rarely has a movie made me concurrently gasp in disbelief and drunk with joy. To merely say I enjoyed "Run Lola Run", would do a great disservice to how I truly feel about this masterpiece. It's exhaustive frentic energy was so addictive that I didn't want it to end. The synergistic combination of sound and image perfectly mesh to create a state of uneasiness which was thoroughly enjoyable. "Run Lola Run" is a drug I wouldn't mind being addicted to.

Exhilarating thriller concerns a young punkette in Berlin named Lola (Franka Potente ,she broke up with longtime companion Tom Tykwer in spring 2002) who has twenty minutes to find and bring 100,000 Deutschmarks to her small-time criminal boyfriend before he robs a supermarket . Mani (Moritz Bleibtreu) has lost a bag of money he was delivering to his boss (Heino Ferch) and she desperately tries to save from death by helping him obtain a huge amount of money he carelessly lost. Lola has only twenty minutes to make good or Mani is history . She then sprints off in a rapid attempt to encounter money needed to save her sweetheart . Lola bets to the number twenty, the first and last story last twenty minutes and twenty minutes is also the time she has to get the money . It takes you on three diverse trips with Lola, all controlled by destination , showing you what would happen in each, and all the "what if's" that provide the foundations for each outcome .

Frantic thriller proceeded in fast moving and excitingly narrated under various points of sight . Franca Potente is good as Lola, a young woman who receives a frenetic phone call and takes three different journeys , all controlled by fate . The screenplay comes roaring and is then repeated with various outcomes based on small changes in Lola's way with different style to match . This film contains about 1581 transitions (edits, dissolves, fades, wipes, etc) in 71 minutes of action (i.e. excluding the credits, and pre-credits sequence). This equates to an Average Shot Length of about 2.7 seconds. Interestingly, the editing is relatively slower towards the end of the film , for most contemporary films, the opposite is the norm. There are many spirals in the film (stair cases, bar behind phone booth etc) , this is because director Tom Tykwer was a fan of 'Alfred Hitchcock''s Vértigo . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Frank Grieve who subsequently had an excellent international career , the colors red (Lola's hair, numerous cars, telephone) and yellow (the phone box, supermarket, tram) appear very often in the film, these colors were selected by the cameraman and director to signify danger , the reds are mainly in Lola's scenes and yellows in Manni's . This is Tom Tykwer's first international breakthrough and was a hit with both audiences and critics alike. Tom's energetic style helps push this exciting and brilliant thriller . The film garnered many awards and was the most successful German film of the year. Subsequent projects filmed in creative manner and technically developed by Tykwer include the followings : The princess and the warrior (2000) ,Heaven (2002), the successful The perfume (2006), The International (2009) and the ambitious epic Cloud Atlas (2012).

Take a moment to consider all the outcomes, all the futures that are likely plus extreme ones, how those prospects might unfold, all the stories yet untold, and the possibilities, with legs that could run. Here the baton is picked up by red haired Lola, as she runs us through three tricks and cards that she's drawn, taking paths that ebb and flow, the tides of time affect her flow, further actions that unfurl, events they then spawn.

A fantastic and imaginative piece of filmmaking that gets the viewer reflecting on the impossible number of events that brought them to where they are today, knowing that the future is uncertain at best and, unlike with Lola, only set for a single take.

In "Lola Rennt" the boyfriend of Lola has lost DM 100.000 of gangster money which he has to hand over to the gang leader in 20 minutes. Failure te do so means a sure death. Lola starts running to her father (a bank manager) in order to save her boyfriend. She keeps on running the whole movie. Seldom did a film title give such an accurate summary of the "storyline".

"Lola rennt" has a dynamic, video clip style. The association with music clips is enhanced by a prominent sound track. On her way Lola passes by different people and sometimes a fast forward of the future lives of these people is displayed by a compilation of snapshots. All in all the visual style of the movie made me think of the work of the "Cinema du look" directors (Luc Besson, Jean Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax) who were active in France during the same period.

The story of Lola running to save her boyfriend is told three times. On leaving her home Lola meets an aggresive dog. Depending on her reaction to this dog, she leaves the appartment building a minute earlier or a minute later. This has great consequences for the situation at hand when she enters the office of her father and ultimately also for the way the story ends.

The three parallel story lines from "Lola Rennt" are not to be confused with the multiple story lines in for example a film like "Rashomon" (1950, Akira Kurosawa). In "Rashomon" there are different memories of the same event, although at the end of the film the question if the objective truth regarding this event really exists lingers on. The point of "Lola Rennt" on the other hand is that reality can develop very differently depending on small differences in the starting situation. The idea that the wing stroke of a butterfly can cause a hurricane in another part of the world due to a chain of totally unpredicatble cause effect relationships. This applies to the main characters but also to the casual passers by. Their lives develops very differently (as shown by the compilation of snapshots) depending on the fact whether or not they are knocked over by Lola. It is no coincidence that in the last story a casino plays an important part, because in the world of "Lola Rennt" life is ruled by pure chance.

Pure chance is not the only important thing in "Lola rennt". Pure love is another important theme. After all Lola is willing to go to great length to save her boyfriend, who objectively speaking is not likable at all. This love is discussed in bedroom conversations, that form the resting points between the three parallel storylines.

People are saying that this is one of the best movies of this decade, but I thought it was god awful. It is nothing but an 81 minute Music Video. There is a point, but the director obviously didn't care much about it. The point is that every little thing that happens to us can have a profound effect on our lives. It's been done before and much better. Take Krystof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Red. It is a movie about a friendship that would have never happened if the main character had not turned the station on her radio. Lola Rennt is a movie that would and does impress beginning film buffs. I think we more seasoned buffs can tell that it's just a great example of style without content.