Run Lola Run Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
Imagine a German nightclub blasting techno music. Imagine a German nightclub blasting techno music whilst drinking Red Bull. Imagine a German nightclub blasting techno music whilst drinking Red Bull and dancing the running man. You’re now getting close to the adrenaline rush of Run Lola Run.
From: Germany, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Trainspotting, Vertigo, Crystal Swan
Why Watch Run Lola Run?
- You’re looking for an thrilling entry point to German film
- The superb high-paced editing to techno/electronic music will keep you hooked
- You’re a fan of Trainspotting or Layer Cake
- For a running tour of Berlin from a spectacular, red-haired Franka Potente
The Breakdown
Whilst you may know the director, Tom Twyker, from his recent collaborations with The Wachowski’s (Cloud Atlas & Sense8), this one appears more like The Matrix in how it looks in it’s many directing tricks. The quick cutting, cross-cutting (cutting one similar looking image with another), and speed-up mode really give this film a late 1990s feel. Luckily, this film hasn’t aged much due to it’s rawness – there is no sci-fi or cgi – and every little editing trick still fits the film without feeling dated (well… apart from maybe the animated shots).
The plot is great fun too. Simply put, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks. Her boyfriend is in a bit of a pickle with some gangster dudes he did an errand for and needs Lola’s help in coming up with the money. Lola then runs a lot. She bumps into people, who the camera then follows into their future, exposing us to the hidden underworld of Berlin.
As a quick end note, Wikipedia has some interesting information about the many references to German culture, that I completely missed:
There are several references to German culture in the film. The most notable is the use of Hans Paetsch as a narrator. Paetsch is a famous voice of children’s stories in Germany, recognized by millions. Many of the small parts are cameos by famous German actors (for example the bank teller). Also, two quotes by German football legend Sepp Herberger appear: “The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory,” and, “After the game is before the game.”
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