Movie 27: The Baader Meinhof Complex

And we turn to IMDB for the description again:

Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy inside are rocking the very foundations of the yet fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation lead by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as the new face of fascism: American imperialism supported by the German establishment, many of whom have a Nazi past. Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lose their own humanity. The man who understands them is also their hunter: the head of the German police force Horst Herold. And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg.

Thank you to Constantin Film, used without permission but I’m not nicking it if I give credit am I?

The main problem with the movie is that I couldn’t really see WHAT they were rebelling against. Yes there’s a bit of protesting about Vietnam, but how that adds up to living in a fascist state I don’t know. At the start there is a protest again Iran, think it’s Persians actually, and the cops get way over the top but was that it?! Really!? Bit of a shaky reason to form a terrorist organisation.

I didn’t really have anyone to root for. This is based on a true story but I can’t speak to its accuracy. What I’d expect, and the last few scenes kind of show it, would be some people starting off with high ideals only to see them spin out of there control so you feel sorry for them after maybe getting there point. Whether you agree with them or not, if they had a semi-decent cause it’s possible to kind of get behind it for an hour or so

What I got was a bunch of assholes who appear to have half read some Marx and seen a poster of Che Guevara, who expect respect off people without giving it, and start shooting and blowing stuff up to be “anarchists”. And then they just go full fledged terrorist really.

I do actually draw a line between freedom fighter and terrorist btw, target choice. If it’s the army, the police and the government only then you’re a freedom fighter. That’s not to say that I could just blow up a police station. I’m not repressed in any way. You attack anything else, you’re a terrorist. If you don’t have a just cause, you’re a terrorist.

So without anyone to care about, and yes its terrible the way they were treated at times once captured but tough, it’s a loooooooooong watch. The one character that came across as intelligent and likable was Bruno Ganz’s police chief. But unfortunately he’s very under used.

Did give me one chuckle though. The terrorists are called the RAF. Bruno Ganz plays Hitler in Downfall. So this is a movie about Hitler vs the RAF. Nice.

Load of wank, I’d just leave it if I were you. If it wasn’t for Run Lola Run I’d start thinking I didn’t like any German movies. I’m sure there have been more than that. I will say this though, this was an easier watch than The White Ribbon….

Hey look, I’m caught up again!