Run Lola Run (1999) (Original in German)

Presenting his third feature after last year's acclaimed Wintersleepers, Tom Tykwer cranks up the volume, stiffens the pace, and jettisons us on one of this year's most exhilarating cinematic adventures. A breathtaking race against the clock, Run Lola Run straps Tykwers' playfully hip sensibilities to a fun-filled mix of romance, thrills, and action as his tireless heroine pounds the pavement and racks her brain to save her lover from danger. Manni and Lola are twenty-something Berliners, way past cool and desperately in love. When Manni, a local criminal's errand boy, loses twenty thousand Marks, he has twenty minutes to find the money or face retaliation. Not the brightest bulb, Manni turns to the quick-witted, resourceful Lola to devise a plan to save his hide. And so she does, and off she sprints, running for Manni's life, for her love, and to find money somewhere, somehow. Dangling three "what if" variations on Lola's mission to save her mate, Run Lola Run pro! pels us toward each outcome with a delicious peppering of surprises, quirks, and twists. A sure-fire hit with audiences, Run Lola Run brings to the screen two actors of immeasurable charisma: Franka Potente as the heroic, flame-haired Lola, and Moritz Bleibtreu as her doltish but devoted lover. Scoring his delirious staccato mix of animation, still photographs, and live action to a pounding techno beat, Tykwer reveals himself a virtuoso of the medium and, at the same time, a passionate believer in destiny and the transcendent power of love.