Tykwer’s big breakthrough was this offbeat thriller in 1998, a relatively massive film festival hit all over the world. Tykwer’s girlfriend at the time, Franka Potente (more recently seen in The Bourne Identity with Matt Damon) gets to relive the same story three times but with minor alterations, each of which have a big knock-on effect. The events include bank robberies, kidnapping, violent death and a great deal of running up and down the streets of Berlin.

The budget is low but Tykwer puts a lot of energy into the movie, mixing animation, a thumping techno soundtrack (courtesy of Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek as well as Potente and Tykwer) and some frantic editing and careful composition, creating a stunning and memorable movie. While the visual style and even the story has had a wide influence (see for example the later Nickelback video), it’s amazing that a US remake hasn’t yet appeared. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow couldn’t run fast enough.

Mild Peril Rating:

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