4K Ultra HD Review: RUN LOLA RUN

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Jul 31 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Run Lola Run, the film that introduced American audiences to actress Franka Potente, is now available on 4K UHD. The disc, which was previously only available as part of the 2022 Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection box set, has just been released as its own separate retail disc.

The story opens as Lola (Franka Potente) receives a panicked phone call from her boyfriend, small time crook Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), who tells her that he accidentally left a bag on the train that contained 100,000 Deutchmarks that he was supposed to hand over to his gangster boss. Manni only has just twenty minutes to replace the money, or he’s likely a dead man. As Manni contemplates robbing a nearby store, Lola tells him to hold off doing anything stupid, assures him that she will come up with the money in time. And Lola she sets off running through the streets of Berlin, trying to get her banker father to give her the money, among other measures. What follows is a fast-paced and frantic adventure filled with flashbacks and do-overs as the story is told non-linearly, starting over several times as Lola tries to successfully complete her mission. Along the way, the film explores themes of fate, coincidence, and the inter-connectedness of people, as we see how simple changes in timing can alter the outcome of events and change the course of someone’s life.

After 25 years, Run Lola Run still holds up extremely well. Originally intended as more of a smaller art house experimental film, the movie surprisingly achieved broad appeal. Things constantly move at a fast pace, focusing more on physicality than dialogue. However, the characters of Lola and Manni and their relationship do feel fully formed and explored over the course of the movie. The film also delves into Lola’s complicated relationship with her father and others. We see Lola attempt her twenty-minute run three times, each time with slightly different results and consequences. Just the slightest difference in timing alters the course of the events and the fates of those she encounters along the way. As Lola and Manni interact with people on the street—a homeless man, a bike rider, an arguing couple, Lola’s father, and more—we see the words “Und Dann” (“and then”) on the screen, followed by a quick series of still photos showing how that person’s future will play out. In each new iteration of the run, we see how the minor changes to Lola’s routine affects these destinies.

There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue in the film, but Franka Potente manages to keep her performance captivating. Lola is constantly on the move, desperately trying to find a way to save her boyfriend, and the viewer gets fully invested in her mission. I’m not usually one fore the more experimental type of film, but I found myself instantly drawn in by the unique look and feel of this movie. In addition to the still-photo fates, the film also makes use of animation There is also this constant pulsating techno soundtrack to add to the tension of the run, and the repeating song “Believe”, featuring vocals by Potente.

Sony had previously released Run Lola Run on 4K disc in 2022 as part of the Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection boxed set, but now the disc has been made available separately, outside of this box set, though the contents of the disc are the same. The disc features a really impressive 4K presentation. The picture is generally quite clean, with a solid level of detail, and a natural looking film grain. The Dolby Vision color grading really showcases the film’s bright color palette, from the Lola’s fire red hair, to her bright clothing, and the more natural palette of the city. This is an experimental film that makes use of stylized flashbacks and cutaways to montages of still shots—these are not as clear or detailed as the main feature, but it feels like this is a specific look and style that the director is going for, and not a lack of picture quality. In fact, some of these moments can be seen in the behind-the-scenes bonus material, where the picture resembles the same quality as the rest of the film.

The audio track is quite immersive, which can be seen early on as Lola is initially trying to fixture out how to get the money, and thoughts are literally spinning in her head. As Lola runs around the city, we are also treated to a pulsating techno soundtrack to give the viewer a sense of the stress and tension she is under as she rushes to save her boyfriend. There is also this catchy song, “Believe”, that repeats over and over again (a music video for which can be found in the bonus material). While the film was originally released in German and the film is offered in it’s original language, the disc also offers an English language track, which features a solid vocal performance. I found this a welcome option for those who don’t want to read subtitles the whole time and just sit back and enjoy the film’s wild, visceral ride.

This 4K release only includes a single 4K disc packed in a standard 4K keepcase, without a digital copy or Blu-ray disc. Our review copy also didn’t include a slipcover. The disc ports over all of the bonus material from the previous Blu-ray release—a 2008 retrospective featurette, an audio commentary track with the director and star, and a music video—and adds another 40-minute making of featurette, an audio commentary track with the director and editor, and the film’s trailer.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:20:10)

2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Extras:
This disc appears to be identical to the one included in the 2022 Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection box set.

Making Of (39:30)
New to the 2022 4K release, this 2008 behind-the-scenes featurette takes a look at the making of the film with the cast and crew. The director talks about wanting to make a purely physical movie, the genesis and evolution of the film, casting the movie, training for the run, introducing the characters, Lola’s look, storyboarding, the sets, integrating music, some of the smaller roles, the reactions to the movie, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes and test footage, and interviews with director Tom Tykwer, producers Maria Köpf & Stefan Arndt, cinematographer Frank Griebe, production designer Alexander Manasse, editor Mathilde Bonnefoy, musicians Reinhold Heil & Johnny Klimek, re-recording mixer Matthias Lempert, and actors Franka Potente (“Lola”), Moritz Bleibtreu (“Manni”), Heino Ferch (“Ronnie”), Joachim Król (“Norbert von Au”), Sebastian Schipper (“Mike”) & Nina Petri (“Frau Hansen”). Presented primarily in German with English subtitles.
Still Running (16:58)
Originally created for the 2008 Blu-ray release, director Tom Tykwer and star Franka Potente look back on the film, the story, the characters, the themes, the differences between the various versions of Lola’s run, the various filming styles, the storyboards, shooting out of order, the music, the running, the hair, the scream, and more. Presented in English.
“Believe” Music Video (4:01)
Music video for the “Believe” song that can be heard throughout the film, featuring clips from the movie, and star Franka Potente performing the vocals.
Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Editor Mathilde Bonnefoy (1:20:10)
Director Tom Tykwer and editor Mathilde Bonnefoy provide a new German-language commentary track, focusing on “rhythm and editing”. They are revisiting the film after many years, but provide some interesting insight into the editing process for this unique movie, including a discussion on creating the teaser trailer well before a lot of the film had been shot. This commentary first appeared on the 2022 4K release and is presented in German with English subtitles.
Commentary with Director Tom Tykwer and Actor Franka Potente (1:20:10)
Director Tom Tykwer and star Franka Potente provide an entertaining and informative English-language discussion throughout the film. They share a lot of interesting stories about the, point out how certain scenes were shot, discuss the music, and more. This commentary track was originally recorded for the 2000 DVD release.
Theatrical Trailer (1:29)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Run Lola Run is a fantastic film, and was just as enjoyable and entertaining as I remembered as I revisited it over 20 years later. Sony’s new 4K release looks and sounds amazing—this is surely the best this film has ever looked! The release ports over all of the bonus material from the previous Blu-ray release and adds an extensive behind-the-scenes featurette and a new commentary track. The disc is identical to the one included in Sony’s 2022 Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection box set, so there’s no need for those who already own that to double-dip. But it is certainly an improvement over the previous Blu-ray, and comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a unique, fast paced action film with an interesting storytelling method.