Product: Run, Lola, Run [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
6 Stars Out of 5! The Most Creative and Brilliant Movie Since Godard's Breathless in 1960
There are very few films that become instant cult classics such as Godard's 1960 Breathless and the less-than-brilliant Pulp Fiction by Tarantino. Run Lola Run in many aspects tops both these movies in its ability to take an incredibly simple plot and turn it into an exgtravaganza of motion, sound and film-making showmanship that redefines filmography and becomes a genre of its own.Run Lola Run is a brilliant combination of a very talented cast, extremely creative writing and masterful video and sound editing, which results in one of the greatest masterpieces in modern moviemaking history. I am not getting carried away!Although the movie is sparse with words, it does an incredible job at providing a unique perspective into the characters lives, sometimes with a single sentence or even just a sequence of camera snapshots:Lola's mother's only sentence in the movie while holding a glass of wine, talking on the phone from home: "clearly, I knew your ascendant was Sagittarius.... But you are married too".Lola's relationship with her father:Lola: "if I can't get the money, Manni will die".Father: "Who is Manni?"Lola: "My boyfriend for a year now".We also get a glimpse into random characters' lives through a sequence of camera snapshots, sometimes in a humorous way, all interweaving into the main theme which is the stage and play that we're all part of and how sequences of events change the outcome of the end of the play.Along the plot line there are several humorous winks and tributes to other movies and books which arguably provided some inspiration to parts of the movie. For instance, Lola's ability to shatter glass with her voice is a direct tribute to German author Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum. A silent scene at the casino provides a tribute to Apocalypse Now. The 3 tries plot may have been inspired by Fritz Lang's 1922 Der Mude Tod, etc.Regardless if you recognize these tributes, Run Lola Run is a captivating movie where every frame and every note of sound seem to be perfectly orchestrated by a maestro who is conducting this fast paced, brilliant symphony.Film making at its best! Savor it!