Run Lola Run, an enormous success in Germany and elsewhere, is a "What If?" film like Sliding Doors and Kieslowski's Blind Chance.
We're given three alternatives scenarios of Lola's efforts to get the money Manni needs but more than that: the film positively bursts with alternatives of all kinds.
At times it seems almost like an interactive movie. Writer-director Tom Tykwer handles this techno thriller at a breakneck pace - the action never lets up, and Franka Potente is terrifically good as the sprinting, road-running heroine.
Tykwer uses animation, video and all kinds of suspense techniques to make this a genuinely breathtaking experience, and the excellent music drives it all along.
It's a clever film, from its opening credits to its breathless conclusion - a very young, hip, picture with a fine sense of cinema and a smart sense of humour.
Watch 'Run Lola Run'
Tuesday 31 January, 8:00pm on SBS World Movies / Streaming after at SBS On Demand
M
Germany, 1998
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Language: German
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Moritz Bleibtreu, Franka Potente, Ludger Pistor
