DVD Review: Princess and the Warrior, The (C+)

The Princess and The Warrior (2000)
Directed By Tom Tykwer
Starring Franke Potente
German with English Subtitles
Grade: C+

Review by Scott Standish

The princess here is the young German nurse Sissi, who lives and works in a mental hospital. One day she is struck by a truck and is almost killed. Saving her life (in a rather gruesome manner) is our Warrior, Bodo. Bodo is a criminal by trade and is gearing up for a big scam.

As Sissi recovers from her near death experience, she realizes that her life should not return to normal, that she must move forward, and take advantage of her second chance. Bodo is a bit more simple and he seems hell bent on avoiding any new brush with life after the death of his wife. The two pair up through a rather meandering story of them hiding from the law, as Bodo's criminal intentions don't always work out the way he hoped.

Princess and the Warrior is directed by Tom Tykwer, who also directed the phenomenal Run Lola Run, a huge hit in the indie circuit back in 1999. If you enjoyed that film, its worth giving this a shot. Young Franke Potente plays Sissi (she played Lola in Run Lola Run) and once again Franke herself an up and coming star. Keep an eye on this actress, she has some great roles ahead of her.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot going on here with the minor characters, especially Bodo's brother, and the patients in Sissi's ward, and all of this background information distracts from the love story that keeps trying to grow between the two main characters. When all is said and done, The Princess and the Warrior was a good film, but not up to par with Tykwer's highly original Run Lola Run. Perhaps with some tightening of the script, and a bit more romance tossed in, this film could have been more my speed.

Buy Princess And The Warrior On DVD From Amazon.com