Barnes & Noble

Lola's predicament is simple and dire: She has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks or her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), is a dead man. It's a tall order (considering that she's broke and unemployed), but the rest of Run Lola Run proves that a lot can happen in 20 minutes, as Lola (Franka Potente) sprints desperately through Berlin. Lola's mad dash to accomplish the apparently impossible through sheer force of will is accompanied by a superb -- and relentless -- techno score. Along the way, director Tom Tykwer pulls out all cinematic stops, mixing 35mm and video, color and black and white, using pans and dolly shots, fast motion, slow motion, split screen, and even animation, while Tykwer's story explores alternate realities in which the future hinges on the slightest variations in chance encounters. Surprisingly taut and incredibly fun, Tykwer's ultra-fast-paced little odyssey is a terrific ride of a movie. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Tom Tykwer directed this German thriller in which Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) handled a smuggling job, delivered the loot, collected the payment, left the bag on the subway, and now has 20 minutes to gather 100,000 deutsche marks or confront the wrath of his boss, local criminal Ronnie (Heino Ferch). Desperate, Manni phones his girlfriend Lola (Franka Potente) who immediately runs downstairs and through Berlin streets to the bank run by her father (Herbert Knaup). However, she's rejected and leaves minus money. When she goes to meet Manni, he's holding up a supermarket, and she's shot by the cops. In a destiny device familiar to readers of Ken Grimwood's acclaimed novel Replay, the story begins anew with different outcomes. In one version, Lola robs the bank and takes her father hostage; in another, there's casino cash to be won. All Lola-Manni scenes were in 35mm, while scenes without them were shot in video. Other cinematic techniques on display here include whip pans, jump cuts, slow and fast motion, split-screen, intercut color and black and white, segment titles, and animation. Shown at 1998 film fests (Venice, Montreal, Toronto). Bhob Stewart

Product Details

• UPC: 043396040144
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: Deutsche, English
• Subtitles: English, Français
• Time: 1:21:00
• Sales Rank: 14,428

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Sony Picture Classics 10th Anniversary

Features: