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THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR Send This Review to a Friend
I'm not much one for films about fate and destiny, but German director Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") is immensely talented and the ingredients he maneuvers in getting to his philosophizing are visually and dramatically potent, which makes "The Princess and the Warrior" riveting from start to finish. The acting is another strong suit.
Franka Potente, who helped make "Run Lola Run" dynamic despite its excesses, is captivating as Sissi, a quiet, unassuming nurse in a madhouse. She's bored with her existence, which mainly consists of keeping patients happy and quiet in a surprisingly loose environment for people as disturbed as some of her charges. One day, while on a mission for a friend, she has a terrible accident. Run down by a truck, she lies in the street unable to breathe when a stranger comforts her and makes an emergency incision that enables her to survive until medics arrive and take over. The stranger disappears, but the memory of his face haunts her and after recovering, she sets out to track him down.
Her search uncovers Bodo, given another strong portrayal by Benno Furmann, but he is a petty thief and a nasty, unhappy, bitter one. He wants no part of Sissi, who nevertheless is persistent. She is drawn to him and his very existence becomes entangled with her notions of fate and love, stimulated further when she is in a bank that he and his pal are robbing. Fate again. This time the bond tightens when she helps him to escape and hides him back at the mental hospital.
That's the gist of the plot setup, which gets more convoluted. Sissi's life and perspective change, and Bodo becomes a different, more open and less angry person. What is this thing called love? Were the two destined to be together. Writer-director Tykwer toys with the themes while supercharging the film with action, danger and excitement, all the while showing off the acting prowess of his leads, as well as loading the film with colorful supporting performances, especially those of the patients. If he can use cinematography provocatively or find a way to edit a scene for maximum effect, he doesn't miss the opportunity.
The director commandingly takes his story full circle from its intriguing opening and shows again that he is a major new filmmaker on the international scene. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
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