The Most Propulsive Thriller of the ’90s is Dashing Back to Theaters
Run, don’t walk, to your local multiplex.
Blockbusters are back in a big way this year, and their renewed popularity has even extended to a few classics. With every single Spider-Man film returning to the big screen, and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar getting an IMAX re-release, nostalgia is bringing audiences back to theaters. Cult hits from the ‘90s are also finding their way back, with the latest being the decade’s most playful, propulsive crime thriller: Run Lola Run.
Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Run Lola Run was among the most acclaimed films of the ‘90s. It was heralded for its white-knuckle momentum and the charisma of its star, The Bourne Identity’s Franka Potente. And with nineties nostalgia proving strong in the 2020s, its punchy aesthetics and synth-driven score are trendier than ever. It’s a good time to revisit the film, and Sony Pictures Classics is making it easy. Run Lola Run returns to theaters this June, to commemorate its original American release.
Run Lola Run was already a hit when it premiered in 1999 — how will it fare 25 years later?
Run Lola Run’s premise is relatively simple, but it’s the execution that makes it unique. Franka Potente stars as Lola, who has to help her boyfriend (Moritz Bleibtreu) when he gets in trouble with a notorious gangster. Lola has just 20 minutes to make 100,000 Deutschmarks to save her boyfriend’s life, and her quest plays out three times in slightly different stories.
“As the clock ticks down, the tiniest choices become life-altering (or life-ending), and the fine line between fate and fortune begins to blur,” reads Sony’s synopsis. Each version of Lola’s adventure plays out like a new video game level; the film earned comparisons to female-led tales like Tomb Raider when it first hit theaters. Twenty-five years on, it still feels singular. Maybe it’s the pulp and grime of the era, or Tykwer’s kinetic, multi-media directing style. There’s never really been a film like Run Lola Run before or since, so it’s more than earned a reappraisal.
