Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior) 2000

The Princess and the Warrior

Critics Consensus

More slow-moving than Run Lola Run, this film nonetheless offers an intriguing storyline about love and fate.

88%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 10,712

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The Princess and the Warrior Photos

(Left to right) Benno Fürmann as Bodo and Franka Potente as Sissi.

(Left to right) Franka Potente as Sissi and Joachim Kròl as Walter.

View All Photos (15)

Movie Info

They meet for the first time, after a horrible accident, underneath a truck. Bodo (Benno Fürmann) saves Sissi's (Franka Potente) life, which is literally hanging by a thread, then disappears without trace. Obsessed by the Incident, Sissi sets out on a mission to find the mysterious stranger, and to discover whether their paths crossed through simple blind chance or the intricate mechanisms of destiny itself.

Rating:

R (Some Sexual Content|Language|Disturbing Images)
Genre:

drama, romance
Original Language:

German
Director:

Tom Tykwer
Producer:

Stefan Arndt, Maria Köpf
Release Date (Theaters):

Jun 22, 2001 original
Release Date (Streaming):

Jan 29, 2002
Box Office (Gross USA):

$$871,058
Runtime:

2h 15m
Production Co:

X-Filme Creative Pool
Sound Mix:

Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Franka Potente
Sissi

Benno Fürmann
Bodo Riemer

Joachim Król
Walter Riemer

Marita Breuer
Sissi's Mother

Jürgen Tarrach
Schmatt

Lars Rudolph
Steini

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior)

All Critics (83) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (31)

Quote not available.

November 24, 2011 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Janice Page
Boston Globe
Top Critic
Quote not available.

March 19, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Globe and Mail
Top Critic
This is bravura filmmaking and a movie not to be missed.

September 28, 2001

Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic
Often fascinating but bizarre and, ultimately, unsatisfying.

August 24, 2001

Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic
Every person's behavior, Tykwer demonstrates with a flourish, is ultimately a matter of chance.

July 16, 2001 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic
Mesmerizing fable of frozen grief and stubborn love.

July 13, 2001

Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic
Quote not available.

November 20, 2008 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Stacie Hougland
Hollywood.com
How do you follow up with one of the most kinetic films ever made? The obvious answer would be to slow things down, take a more introspective and less visceral approach. In short, do something different.

June 21, 2007 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Jason Gorber
Film Scouts
Quote not available.

December 6, 2005 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Film Threat
...a film that's gorgeous to look at, but completely hollow and devoid of compelling characters.

August 1, 2003 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Quote not available.

May 14, 2003 | Rating: 3/4

Joe Mader
Palo Alto Weekly
Potente proves her versatility as an actress here with a much more subdued character, but is still capable of delivering powerhouse emotional scenes

March 19, 2003 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

View All Critic Reviews (83)

Audience Reviews for Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior)

Sep 20, 2011

Pretty to look at, but unnecessarily slow...as if the goal were to make a heist movie without the vulgar ingredient of excitement. Very odd movie. I kept asking myself "is there a point to all this"? Very long, too. Just not my cup of tea, apparently.

Cynthia S Super Reviewer
Sep 26, 2010

a fairy tale, as the title suggests, in the sense that fairy tales are myths of psychic healing. it's one of the oldest functions of storytelling and the characters here are archetypal. love franka and that hypnotic piano theme during the heist. an ambitious film on many levels and i was pretty into it up until the end, when everything is seemingly spelled out in giant block letters just in case we didn't get it.

Stella D Super Reviewer
Apr 17, 2009

Sometimes I find it hard to get the right words to describe a movie.Specially Europeans ones. This is an unusual love story? a melodramatic thriller? Which was sometimes disturbing, too, especially the scenes in the psychiatry, where Sissy works as a nurse - and the hypnotizing music. Director Tom Tykwer shows here that he can tell stories with heart and soul. There are characters you really care for. In my case, Bodo,( Benno Fürmanns) performance touched me deeply, and off course Sissi. (Franka Potente) I was on her side when she was desperately fighting for Bodo´s love. Im not used to German movies but I guess this was one of the best German movies of that year? I highly recommend it.

Daisy M Super Reviewer
Apr 14, 2009

Not a thoroughly bad movie altogether even though it has a bad start when it comes to suffering from having me as a reviewer because I just dont like (modern) German cinema (everything 1990s plus basically). Franka Potente ist pretty impressive, if a bit irritating. Talking of which, I found Führmann a very hard to like character and while this may have been intentional, I think the thin line between being a victim and just a whiny idiot tends to tilt towards the favour of the latter, which made the film - at least to me it did - less enjoyable. Take all the other things I despise about German film: Bleak cinematography (without the sensual gloom and angst), awful sets, script and being utterly pretentious and there you have it. Two stars, just for Potente and the blatant use of sexuality and some violence which I found quite well done.

Henrik S Super Reviewer