***Run Lola Run*** (2000)
***Running Time***: 80 min.
***Stars***: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup
***Found at***: PlantzThe film begins like so many others ******– with a phone call. After that, however, this film ceases to resemble any other. Shown in German with optional English subtitles, “Run Lola Run” consists of three versions of one story: Lola (Potente) must save her boyfriend, Manni (Bleibtreu) from a street thug by getting 100,000 marks in 20 minutes. Two “red scenes” that slow the pace of the movie for just a moment break up the three segments.
***Comments***: The first thing I thought to myself after watching “Lola” is that this must surely be the most streamlined movie I’ve ever seen. The plot is completely self-contained, yet the film offers a wide range of characters that, after seeing them react three different times, seem very dynamic. It is this strange kind of characterization, where the plot changes while the characters remain the same, which gives the movie such a believable quality. Real life people don’t change very dramatically during 80 minutes, so why should movie people? The frenetic pace of this movie is the real heart, though. The film begins with a rush of adrenaline and does not stop until it reaches the end. Hold on tight, and pick up this movie. ***A***