Product: Run, Lola, Run [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
This is Pure Adrenaline: Lola is Fantastic
Like an extended music video, Run Lola Run is one of those visceral movies that can be watched passively for while but before long it gets under your skin making your heart pound your lungs heave and your mind race. Tom Tykwer's direction and writing turned out a fantastic film that is pure action. This is a foreign film but its concept and style are close to home. Using the universal appeal of driving beats, as well as techno tunes and fast action photography this film is one that immediately grabs hold of teens and young adults and older people too! Franka Potente is powerful in this film. She is aesthetically pleasing (as always) and really makes the film enjoyable to watch. The dialogue is quite simple and you need not know a lick of German except maybe die tasche (the bag) which is a line used often throughout.The film is centered on a young arty couple who are in need of money to pay off a loan after getting the. I am not going to give away a single plot detail because it may make the movie less enjoyable. However the movie is in fact three different scenarios of what happens in their pursuit of get back the money. Not all of these scenarios end happily. I have always imagined the movie as the imaginings of the couple as they plan and go through the contingencies of getting money.Stylistically this movie is shot a lot like a music video and is more emotionally stimulating than is an intellectual one.Its adrenalizing driving feel is refreshing especially considering it is a foreign film. So often foreign films are intellectual or just quaint. Not here. The only omission I would have made was the use of the animations that run in a few parts. They aren't bad and do not heavily detract but they are a little bit like something out of the `80's. But overall, the heavy use of high energy volume fast action shots, aggressive dialogue against a relatively austere urban German backdrop that accentuates the action makes this such a fun film to watch.Beware when watching this movie you will probably want to do some cardio and this makes a great one to watch while on the treadmill if you have such a set up. This movie is pumped with energy and is a great point of entry into foreign film. It is one that is highly accessible very stimulating and good for a wide audience. I highly recommend you see this one: Its style pushed the envelope of what a film can be and is truly a masterpiece. The DVD offers a few extras and English audio which makes it all the more easy to watch.-- Ted Murena