MovieChat Forums > Lola rennt (1999) Discussion > Wow, I'd forgotten how great this was!

Wow, I'd forgotten how great this was!

posted 14 years ago by g001-645-760521
13 replies | jump to latest

Watching this film is like being on a thrill ride! It's a fantastic experience, and it's one of my favourite movies of all time. I first watched it a couple of years ago, and today I watched it for the third time. I picked up on a lot of details that are so important.

To English-speaking viewers, I want to say that you should watch it without the English overdub at least once. The original dialogue has so much power and emotion, it's great. It's the kind of film where you don't even need to understand every word to enjoy it (though some plot details get lost of course). The first time I saw it, I didn't even use subtitles. My German ability is such that I can pick up about 30% of the meaning, but it was enough, and the editing, acting and music kept me hooked the whole way through. Today I used the German audio but added English subtitles so that I picked up all the details. What a cleverly-woven story it is. One thing I missed the first time was the crucial information that Papa fails to get from his mistress in the first segment, but receives in the second one, which makes him angry.

Brilliant, genius film-making.

[–] don savant 14 years ago

A former German girlfriend introduced this to me when the VHS first came out. I have since then exposed it to mi Americano compadres with great feedback for the last 12 years. I do like it better in German though.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Joseph-gabo 13 years ago

I love this movie also. i first saw this movie in 2000 one day just laying around doing nothing and watching some movie channel. This movie also was the first time i have ever seen Franka Potente in any movie. I love how simple the story is. Lola gets a few chances to save her boyfriend because she keeps going back replaying her run to save him over and over.

[–] thbryn 13 years ago

I haven't seen it in a while. The beginning with the lineup photos was so good I'm surprised it hasn't been copied more.

[–] timlin-4 12 years ago

Worse than I remember it. Seemed cool, but it's actually standard Eurotrash film-making. Gimmicky/quirky/stylish with an abyss of meaningless underneath.

[–] jieyin 11 years ago

So true

[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

Great, eh? More like a bad... and that`s very, very bad... and overlong music video with no discernable point, rhyme or reason besides this hack director´s itch to throw in as much fancy camerawork and other flashy stylistics as possible - just because he can. A really sad dreck, this. In future, maybe they should offer this director to cover Tour De France or something as he´s obviously way too inept to handle drama. 2/10. A film that really has no real reason to exist in the first place.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] g001-645-760521 11 years ago

Maybe you should write all that in a review. If you already have, that's great! You could also start a 'this film sucks' thread. That's great too.

I still like it :-P

Have a good day.

[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

Night.

Night.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] maz89 11 years ago

While I can understand why Run Lola Run is not everyone's cup of tea, you have to admit that there is indeed some "discernible point" in the film. In fact, it deals with the same themes and topics that Kieslowski profoundly examines and contemplates in Blind Chance (fate, free will, chaos theory, etc; how the slightest of our choices profoundly impact what unfolds), only here the director dramatizes them with fiery energy and a rapid-pace narrative along with an acrobatic visual style (a restless and hyperactive camera, the zippy editing) and matching score to boot. And in the end, all of these various elements gel wonderfully to imitate a thrilling, breathless, run-for-your-life ride. It's an easy example of fine visual filmmaking.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

Well, you sort of have a point about "the point", but even granting that, it isn´t remotely as interesting or substantive as the said Blind Chance. And I found nothing compelling or appealing about the way it "deals" with the stuff - the monotoneous drone of synthesized elevator music to which the film walks its tiresome beat, didn´t strike me as that "fiery" (or, at best, all it fires, is blanks) and the insistently fancy visual style, so in vogue back in the late 90`s/early 00`s, is no less annoying than in some Guy Ritchie hipsterfest. "Visual filmmaking" should not be mistaken for throwing in every editing trick or camera movement one can think of; arguably, some of it serves a purpose, but ultimately, "overkill" seems like an understatement to describe what Tykver was doing there.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] Clyburn 11 years ago

Agreed. recently saw it for the first time since soon after its original release. Thoroughly enjoyable.

8 out of 10.