The Princess and the Warrior

Perhaps Tom Tykwer took himself too seriously after "Lola Rennt", so he handles the romance between a nurse and a bank-robber as if he were a young Michelangelo Antonioni taking Psychology 101 and doing his first film. Overlong but somehow still fascinating, thanks mainly to the dark character of the "warrior" and Franka Potente, who is always good to watch.

For me, a brilliant movie. There is so much of it, and any holes were not apparent at first viewing. But if it is not universally acclaimed, no-one is at fault. There's much magic in the hands of this director-writer. The casting is perfect; original in looks and body language, Furmann and Potente grace a modern fairy tale that says, well, something about fate, leaving the past behind, finding what you want right under your nose etc. All the old true clichés. This time, told with exquisite pace (slow), and beauty. A couple of shatteringly good scenes, well thought out, plotted and executed, all rounded out with a black humour and tender touch that keeps it CLEAR of pretension. The ending leaves a poignant, puzzled smile and an appetite for more German cinema. If you don't like this you must be a Van Damme fan.

Now, there was a pleasant Sunday evening.

I never got around to seeing it in the theaters, but just caught it by accident on tele, and even from the start. And it works perfectly on that media as well.

It is a rarely beautiful tale told in so few words, that tell so much. It is little wonder that Tykwer got to make Heaven (a script left by Kieslowski). Few has ever described the love between man and woman so catchingly and so real in so not so extraordinary circumstances. And these are the stories that sticks.

And Tykwer also always seems to get the music right, notice the elegance of the end-title number "You can't find peace" by Pale 3 feat. Skin. Thankfully they still show end-titles now and then on danish television.

There's lot more to write, but the morning a another day at work grows frightfully close.

This will be a fond memory.

'Der Krieger und de Kaiserin' (2000), translated as 'The Princess and Warrior' is brought to our screens by 'Run Lola Run' director, Tom Tykwer. For myself 'Run Lola Run' was an excellent film, and i would say that this film is good in its own way. Looking at this film in comparison with Tykwer's previous debute, it doesn't have the same energy rush or rythmic motivational feel to it. However, we have to bear in mind that this is a different film entirly and audiences of 'Run Lola Run' are possibly full of predertermined expectations of Tykwer's new film, based on the previous.

This film is stylish, if not more stylish than than 'Run Lola Run', despite being quite slow moving, it does make you feel 'locked' to see the film through to the end. This film is a captivating experience which will exhilarate and 'move' you in the quest for Sissi's (Franke Potente (Run Lola Run)) survival and then her quest to seek out Bono and help him to the end.

OK, maybe not the 'complexist' of story lines, but it works, and is good.

This is a enigmatic love story, and really if your more inclined to a Hollywood, big-budget, huge special effects etc film, then maybe this isn't the one for you. Personally, this is a slick (the film-making), stylish, captivating film and i would recommend it to anyone who likes a 'visual' film (i know that sounds mad, but e.g. very visual and superb camera angles etc)!

See it before you buy it, because it might not be your cup of tea!

8/10

Having loved Tykwer's impressively energetic RUN, LOLA, RUN (1998), I was really looking forward to watching his follow-up feature but, somehow, I never managed it until now (I did get to watch his subsequent film, HEAVEN [2002]). Thankfully, it was worth the wait and the result is almost as good. While the film is long and often rambles on rather aimlessly, it is never boring and, at times, disarmingly inventive and emotional; the leading players, especially the enchanting Franka Potente, have a lot to do with the latter quality. THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR's main themes are matters of chance and fate but it also features an elaborate bank robbery and a long stretch of it takes place in an insane asylum (where Potente practices some unorthodox therapy on a couple of her patients) which is not too far removed from the one seen in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975).