Run Lola Run is one of those fun films that no one talks about, but remembers fondly if you bring it up in conversation.
The film has an interesting premise: Lola (played by Franka Potente) was supposed to meet her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) after he received a bag of cash for a shady deal. Her moped is stolen, and she can't meet him. He ends up taking the train, sees the police, and flees, leaving the bag of money - which is supposed to be sent on to a crime boss - on the train. If Manni doesn't deliver the money to the boss within 20 minutes, he'll almost certainly wind up dead.
Thus begins the running, and what makes Run Lola Run such a neat film. Lola decides to help Manni, and takes off. What then follows is three scenarios of what might happen. As she runs, she literally runs into different people, and the film allows us to see what will happen to each person in a series of quick shots. In the first scenario, one character is later seen to be in a car accident, in the hospital, then a gruesome suicide, and culminating in a quick shot of a tombstone. In the second, that same character is seen to fall in love with a bank teller. The movie is basically an amped-up, more polished version of Sliding Doors, which explored the same premise of "What could happen next?"
In the other films I've reviewed, running is portrayed as part of a lofty goal, or can be seen as a metaphor for the character. But in Run Lola Run, running is utilitarian and a means of survival. It also looks incredibly painful, as Franka Potente clearly isn't wearing a sports bra as she takes off on the streets of Berlin. Despite the fact I know Lola isn't really a "good" person, as she's mixed up with this awful crime, I find myself rooting for her every time I see this film.
Would I see it again? Yes. I actually used to own this movie, but for whatever reason, I sold it at a long-ago garage sale.
Number of training montages: None. Lola runs purely as a means of survival, and to outrace the clock.
Is this one of those "couch-potato-to-marathoner" stories? No. No, no, no, no. This is one of those "If I don't get the money to my boyfriend in time, we're both dead" sort of movies.
Number of inspirational songs: None, but there are quite a few quick dance songs that wouldn't be out of place in a workout playlist.
What I give this movie: Five out of five running shoes. It's a fast movie - which I like - and is incredibly enjoyable.
The trailer is below, and I don't think it does the film justice.
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