When “Run Lola Run” hit theaters in June 1999, its flashy camera techniques and bright colors solidified the film as a foreign cult success.
“The Princess and the Warrior” could not be more different.
As director Tom Tykwer’s follow-up film to “Lola,” “The Princess and the Warrior” is a slower, more subdued film. It showcases fluid camera movements and an in-depth plot, similar to Tykwer’s 1997 release, “Winter Sleepers.”
Franka Potente, the red-headed vixen of “Lola,” returns as the blonde character Sissi, a thoughtful nurse administering to her patients in a hospital psychiatric ward.
Opposite Sissi is the thieving, destructive “Bodo,” played by Benno Fürmann. Bodo glides from job to job, while scheming a bank robbery with his brother Walter played by Joachim Król.
Both Sissi and Bodo waltz on and off the screen with obvious emotional baggage. Sissi seems to be in a perpetual trance as she comforts her patients through their tough lives. Bodo, working as an undertaker, is reduced to tears for a deceased woman he has never met before.
Of course, in the world of movies, the two opposite characters will be drawn together in dramatic fashion. In this film, Sissi pushes one of her patients from the path of a speeding truck, herself being struck in the process.
In an attempt to avoid being arrested for theft, Bodo crawls under the truck to discover the dying Sissi. To help her breathe again, Bodo performs an emergency tracheotomy with only a pocket knife and a straw. He rides with Sissi to the hospital before vanishing.
After spending several weeks in the hospital, Sissi is consumed with finding her mysterious savior. Sissi desires to show her gratitude while Bodo is refusing any contact. However, the film brings them both together once again when Sissi appears in the same bank Bodo and Walter are attempting to rob.
Even though “Lola” appears to be Tykwer’s experimental film, his graceful camera style shines again. Although his stories sometimes lack substance and believability, “Princess” and “Lola” prove Tykwer’s talent as a director. In an early shot, Bodo stares down at the camera, before the camera tilts and transitions into a crane shot, high above Bodo, who appears leaning over the railing of a bridge, “flying” high above the traffic below.
Potente, who made the transition to American films with “Blow,” is also forced to make a 180-degree turn from her role as Lola to play the quiet Sissi. Unfortunately, her talent lies with the face-paced Lola. As Sissi, she quietly moves from scene to scene, often fading into the background. Her dynamic screen presence from “Lola” disappears, replaced with the often comatose Sissi.
Potente’s saving grace is the outstanding performance of Fürmann. As Bodo grows and shows his softer side while saving Sissi’s life, Fürmann makes that transition along with his character. Still unknown to most American audiences, Fürmann brings the high energy, given to Potente in “Lola,” to his role in “Princess.”
Unfortunately for Tykwer, his inspired direction, amazing cast and the work of cinematographer Frank Griebe, can’t help raise the hackneyed plot of “The Princess and the Warrior” to the level of the experimental “Run Lola Run.”
