Product: Run, Lola, Run [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 5.0
High octane adrenaline rush for the eyes...
`Run Lola Run' is like `Groundhog Day' on speed, with maybe a hit of `Kill Bill, Vol. 1' in there for good measure. It follows Lola (Potente) as she races to get 100,000 deutschemarks for her boyfriend Manni (Bleibtreu) who is in debt to a seedy gangster with no patience or mercy. She has twenty minutes to do so and what makes this film unique is that it is very time conscious. Tom Tykwer accurately takes twenty minutes (or VERY close to) with each of Lola's attempts to save her boyfriend.Lola's first attempt is to ask her father, a bank manager, for the money. This goes horribly wrong and Lola is forced to take another route. She makes a few attempts, and each one explores cause and affect in a strange way, showing the outcomes of everyone involved and all whom Lola interacts with until the film ends unexpectedly.The camera style here is great, fast paced and edgy, and it keeps you glued to the screen until the credits begin to roll. I was also very impressed with the acting on the parts of the two leads, Franka Potente in particular who embraced her character with pure panic and conveyed a very convincing and realistic portrayal of a woman fighting for the life of her lover. I haven't seen too many foreign films but after this one I'm surely going to give them a try.