The Baader-Meinhof Complex [DVD]

This is an excellent film that presents a dramatization of historical events in Germany during the 1960's and 1970's. The story concerns the formation and activities of a radical and militant left-wing group - the Red Army Faction (RAF) - that operated illegally in West Germany, organised along Leninist lines, and sought to destabilise capitalism in that country. The film explores the early aims and objectives of certain key individuals - Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin - showing how, initially, they sought to redress perceived civil wrongs within society. Yet, as their organisation developed, the group escalated into terrorism - carrying out bombings, kidnappings and assassinations. Ultimately the German police capture these individuals, and the movie depicts the lengthy court proceedings and their imprisonment.The film is superbly acted, with standout performances by Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, Johanna Wokalek and Bruno Ganz. It is, in the end, a tale that explores disillusionment with the status quo and how efforts to fight for greater freedom and liberty can become twisted into terror and murder. This is a violent film, yet it makes for compelling viewing - especially knowing that it's based on actual events.This movie is in German, with English subtitles. If you enjoy it, I also recommend  The Lives of Others [DVD] [2006 ].

I'm old enough to remember the Baader Meinhof terrorist group from the 1970's so bought this film to discover more about the events that took place.This is a well acted film BUT it came across to me as a film designed to promote Left Wing politics. Members of the Baader Meinhoff terrorist group were in reality a vicious and evil bunch of individuals who killed and maimed innocent people to achieve their own perverted political aims and should have been executed for their atrocities. It would have been better if they'd been buried in unmarked graves and forgotten.

This 2008 historical drama concentrates on the what the press called the Baader-Meinhoff Group, which marked the formative and early years [first generation] of the West German far-left militant group the Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Fraction, or RAF) from 1967 through to the leaderships demise in 1977.The strength here is that it tries to balance the views of the B-M-G against those of the representatives of the fledgling German state, managing a generally ‘fair’ balance while capturing some of the political differences within the group and highlights the cultural clashes and tensions between the middle class revolutionaries and the people they sought to represent and work with. The downside is that the characters are often portrayed as neurotic and disengaged from the world about them, also it fails to really distinguish the differing ‘generations’ that the B-M-G gave rise too, which intensified the B-M-G internal differences, even though they are mentioned and the failure to discuss the more violent Italian Red Brigades is a massive oversight.The single disc opens to 2 trailers, the main menu offering play, scene selection and bonus [history in the making, on Uli Edel, the score, filmographies, trailer]. Rated 18 with scenes of full frontal nudity from the opening, concepts of free love, violence, profanity [including the much used ‘C’ word] this is bound to enrage some, as is the general subject but remains a ‘must see’ for anyone interested in student unrest and terrorism in the 20th century.

This is an exciting movie dramatization about a difficult time in German modern history, post WW2 set in 1970’s and 80’s. Germany was split into two after the war and was not reunited again until 1989.Young people in West Germany are worried about their right wing government run by a lot of ex Nazi’s who hate communists and are anti-democratic, not allowing peaceful demonstrations etc. At least that is the view of a lot of them. Out of this feeling begins a left wing movement which becomes the Red Army Faction otherwise known as the Baader Meinhof group, named after two of the prominent members. They start a reign of terror, robbing banks and killing people. A lot of the West German public sympathise with the group. Are they anti-capitalist or anarchists and are they justified? You have to make your own mind up.The violence is quite shocking when you think this actually happened. It’s not really that gory though; this is a serious story not a slasher movie. Johanna Wokalek stood out for me as one of the leaders of the group, Gudrun Ensslin, although all the cast perform well.It’s quite long at 150 minutes and could have been a bit shorter, but it’s worth it. 5 stars