Before American audiences met Franka Potente as Marie, the accidental ally to amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in 2002, she portrayed a different type of “on-the-run” character: Lola. Absent intrigue of the spy sort, Potente’s Lola is a strong and capable young woman faced with life-or-death circumstances that must be resolved in 20 minutes who takes center stage in writer/director Tom Tykwer’s (Cloud Atlas) Run Lola Run (Lola rennt). First screened in the U.S. during Sundance Film Festival 1999, and then given a wide release by Sony Pictures Classics in June of that year, Tykwer’s Run Lola Run (and Potente’s performance in it) has been repeatedly recognized for its thoughtful time-bending narrative, straight-forward execution, and pulse-pounding drama. In November 2022, Sony Pictures released a 4K UHD collection of 11 films in their Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection in which Run Lola Run was included, but, now you can snag Lola as a solo piece with the 4K UHD remaster and all available bonus materials.
Franka Potente as Lola in RUN LOLA RUN. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Photos not representative of remaster.
Due to a string of unfortunate circumstances, the normally punctual Lola (Franka Potente) is unable to pick up her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) after his latest job. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem except her failure to arrive inspired him to go it alone and, in the process, loses 100,000 DM which he will have to pay for with his life unless he can come up with the money in the next 20 minutes. Lola believes that love can win, no matter the circumstances, whereas Manni is a skeptic. In 20 minutes, can Lola prove herself right?
L-R: Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni and Franka Potente as Lola in RUN LOLA RUN. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Photos not representative of remaster.
Run Lola Run is the kind of film you might see once, whether in the theater or at home, and never forget it. The animations that Tykwer utilizes to circumvent physical performance (Lola running down the stairs) or enhance it (Lola running down the stairs and scaring the dog in the third run-through) or to help illustrate at the start how time plays a massive part in the narrative as a whole, are so compelling in their execution that they linger in memory, even if the specificity of meaning is lost to time. Of course, this is after Tykwer plunges a camera into a working cuckoo clock, even further cementing the idea that what we’re about to engage in goes beyond traditional storytelling and into the world of imagination where time is a construct to be utilized for the exploration of ideas. In the case of the film proper, this means identifying what love can do and is willing to do, how choices impact far more than the immediate (touch of chaos theory exemplified by the snapshots we see of the people Lola bumps into in each pass), and providing the ability for the intimate interludes to tie directly to each unsuccessful pass. Going further, one can look at the costume design of Lola and the shifting visual language Tykwer incorporates in a specific sequence in the film. Regarding Lola, she’s wearing a soft blue outfit with hair dyed red, so that when she runs (she’s a sprinter), it’s as though she’s trailing fire, so intense is her focus and drive. It would be simple enough to conflate the costume to that of the mid-to-late 1990s when a bit of a cyber punk/techno/house style of dress was growing popular (the soundtrack toward the final pass and beyond using songs that would fit nicely with somewhere between Lucious Jackson, Veruca Salt, or The Prodigy), but it also serves the purpose of defining Lola as a person strong of heart and belief that bursting into flames via sheer will is her fate and she’ll risk it to save Manni. Of course, then there’s the shift in visual language from 35 mm (majority of the film) to shot on video/camcorder (small portions). In one of the video sequences, Lola’s father (Herbert Knaup) is talking with the co-worker he’s having an affair with (Nina Petri) as Lola runs toward the bank he manages. The shift from 35 mm to video is striking and seems to denote the severe differences between the father and daughter. They’re separated by age, by gender, and technology — a divide that cannot be broached — and, each time, her needs are never met by him. Of course, his reasoning in passes 2 and 3 aren’t particularly stated, but the explanation he provides in pass 1 is gut-wrenching, a horrific slight that not only prevents Manni’s immediate safety but challenges Lola’s perspective on love. The visual language shifts from video to back to 35 mm for both only when Lola catches up with her father; however, up until that point, the divide is present and conspicuous.
Franka Potente as Lola in RUN LOLA RUN. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Photos not representative of remaster.
Based on research for this home review, this disc appears to be the same as the one included in the November 2022 collection. That said, we’re still going to run this down so as to provide interested parties information to help better set expectations.
The audio comes with a few options, but the primary is a German 5.1 DTA Mast Audio track. It’s incredibly well-balanced, which matters as the film transitions between dialogue-heavy sequences and running moments which involve non-diegetic scoring and musical accompaniment. All the dialogue is clear and clean, the music is uplifting, and one finds themselves really immersed in the world as a result. Given the thematic elements regarding time and love, which take the shape of three similar sequences with intimate exposition from Lola and Manni between them, the use of sound and our ability to process it all becomes quite important.
Franka Potente as Lola in RUN LOLA RUN. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Photos not representative of remaster.
In terms of the video elements, this is where things get tricky. Run Lola Run was shot on both 35 mm and video, the mix giving certain scenes a specific visual look over others. Whereas the scenes shot in 35 mm have a crispness, a clarity of detail and color, the enhanced resolution doesn’t exactly improve the rougher edges of the video shot portions. This isn’t so much a ding against it as these sequences are meant to have a different visual style from those with Lola (as explored above). Rather, the 4K UHD with Dolby Vision merely extenuates the differences more clearly. Checking the data during viewing, the 4K UHD edition hovers around 60 Mbps, denoting a strong 4K presentation, although not the highest it could be when compared to other releases, like The Fall Guy (2024), which hover between 60-80 Mbps.
L-R: Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni in RUN LOLA RUN. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. Photos not representative of remaster.
As previously stated, this edition of Run Lola Run is the same as the November 2022 Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection except available to purchase on its own. So, if snagging this as part of the larger 11-film collection didn’t work for your budget, here’s your chance. Most importantly, it appears to include the same bonus features as the collection edition, therefore giving fans of the film access to all the featurettes and audio commentary tracks without the potential bloat of the additional collected films and within a more traditional black plastic 4K UHD disc case that’ll sit more conservatively on your shelf. If you are a fan of the film and prefer your copies to possess the highest possible mastering, then this is the edition for you. If it included either a Blu-ray to hold the bonus features allowing more available space for the film on the 4K or a digital copy, the pull to snag this would only increase.
Run Lola Run Special Features:
- Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision
- German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka Potente
- Audio Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde Bonnefoy
- Making-Of Featurette
- Still Running Featurette
- “Believe” Music Video
- Theatrical Trailer
Available as a solo 4K UHD Blu-ray July 30th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Sony Pictures Classics Run Lola Run webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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