Having grabbed your attention with Run Lola Run, Tom Tykwer seeks to show just how clever he is with this leisurely variation on the same theme.
Potente returns as a psychiatric nurse, whose involvement with a pair of criminal brothers (Furmann and Kroll) sparks off another stylishly filmed round of intricately interlocked contrivances.
The plot is refreshed and redirected by the recklessly specious twists and turns. However, Tykwer tries to pack too much into the last reel and is so preoccupied with his set-pieces that he overlooks some worthwhile ideas.
Plundering Lola and his earlier Wintersleepers, he also references such filmmakers as Julio Medem and Danny Boyle, to goad us into laughing knowingly at his cynicism and his sardonic take on coincidence. Ultra-slick, but ultimately shallow.