Product: Run, Lola, Run [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
Clearly the best movie of 1999.
1999 was a good year for the movies. The Sixth Sense, the Blair Witch Project, American Beauty. Oh, yes, there was this little German film that few had heard of before the Sundance festival: LOLA RENNT (English title: RUN LOLA RUN).Directed by Tom Twyker, whose past releases in this reviewers opinion aren't really notable, and starring Franka Potente, Run Lola Run brought new respect to German filmmaking, which has previously been (fairly) characterized as deliberate, slow paced, and self-absorbed in a bad way.Run Lola Run is about action. From 10 seconds into the opening credits through to the end -- punctuated only with a few brief intermissions to let you catch your breath -- the director grabs you and drags you along a whirlwind journey. Three times. You'll enjoy the ride each time.There's one moment, when you begin the rollercoaster ride for the second time, when you'll say to yourself "oh no, I'm going to have to watch this again. This is going to hurt." And within 8 seconds Twyker shifts gears on you and shows you how Lola's journey changes others and herself in different ways each time.I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, so I'll give you the barest outline: Lola's boyfriend Manni has lost 100,000 Deutschmarks that his gangster boss is coming to collect in 20 minutes. Lola has to run across town to find 100,000 DM, and reach Manni, before time runs out.The soundtrack is unparalleled. The filmmaking is superb. The acting is flawless -- every supporting actor strikes the perfect note. This is the movie I would want to be stuck on a desert island with. If you get the DVD version, you'll also get one of the most interesting directors commentaries available. I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone that is human.