It annoys me when the film you are watching starts off brilliantly and then derails itself by having too many sub-plots, twists and turns. The first third of Tom Tykwer’s latest film ‘The Princess and The Warrior’ was perfectly paced, beautifully shot and I thought I was going to be in for a cinematic treat. By the time the closing credits appeared, I was deeply disappointed. Franka Potente plays Sissi, a psychiatric nurse whose life gets irrevocably intertwined with that of Bodo - played by Benno Furmann - when he saves her life after she gets hit by a truck. When Sissi tries to track down the person that saved her life, we discover that Bodo harbours as many demons as the psychiatric patients Sissi cares for. There are many memorable moments in this film, but unfortunately these are rendered forgetabble by the film’s labourious final half hour. Why can’t some directors end films in the right place instead of trying to do too much, thus making a mess of it. Whilst watching the ending unfold, I felt as though the film I was watching 90 minutes previously was something completely different entirely. However, this film is worth going to see as there are some stunning moments in it; it’s just painful to see a film start so good only to witness it turn to something pretty average. Incidentally, like ‘Alice in the Cities’ directed by Wim Wenders, this film is set in Wuppertal, Tykwer’s place of birth and home of the sky train. This particular transport system intrigues me… in fact, I’m tempted to visit Wuppertal just to go and see it.