Product: Run, Lola, Run [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 4.0
A roller coaster ride in my living room!
Have you ever had a dream where, perhaps you did not like the way the dream was evolving, so you manipulated the events in some sort of re-do/start-over variation, and tried again? Well, this is 'Run Lola Run'...a heart-thumping, high adrenaline romp of a wild ride.Lola is a young woman who is supposed to pick up her boyfriend, Manni, from the train station. Manni - - who is kind of incompetent and obviously dependant on Lola for guidance - - works for criminal-types, and he was to make a delivery of 100,000 deutsche marks to his boss. Due to circumstances beyond Lola's control, she is unable to pick up Manni at the designated time, and he, in his confusion, misplaces the bag which contains the money. Manni is convinced that his boss will kill him if he doesn't have the money; Lola insists she can come up with the money, and Manni agrees to wait just twenty minutes for her, or else he will rob a large retail store nearby to get it. The key here is the twenty minutes. This frantic phone conversation sets everything in motion, and Lola's mad dash commences. As the first twenty minutes winds down unsuccessfully, in that almost dream-like method, Lola is able to re-do the twenty minutes with similar but variant results, and then again a third time. It is the variant results that make the scenes so fascinating. Not only is this girl running with everything she's got, the director strafes you with fast-paced shots, and the pulsing techno-music feels like an aerobic workout in your brain. Each person she comes across causes us to catch a small but interesting glimpse into the effects we all unknowingly have upon each other. And, remarkably, for as little time you get with the lesser characters (her mother, father, people in the street), you are able to develop a much broader characterization and even a better understanding of who Lola is - - independent and confident.The only flaw in this story involves logic. I couldn't help wondering why Lola just didn't go back and change the one thing that would've solved the whole situation - - get to the train station to pick up Manni on time! But, all in all, I think 'Run Lola Run' is a very enjoyable film, and is visually pleasing as well as refreshingly original, story-wise. I am just hoping it does not garner so much attention as to warrant an American copy, starring J-Lo!