X
- 2009
- R
- Vitagraph Films
- 2 h 30 m
- 2009
- R
- Vitagraph Films
- 2 h 30 m
Summary 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 still fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as th...
Directed By: Uli Edel
Written By: Bernd Eichinger, Stefan Aust, Uli Edel
- 2009
- R
- Vitagraph Films
- 2 h 30 m
- 2009
- R
- Vitagraph Films
- 2 h 30 m
The Baader Meinhof Complex
76
7.1
Where to Watch
Summary 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 still fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin are fighting a violent war against what they perceive as th...
Directed By: Uli Edel
Written By: Bernd Eichinger, Stefan Aust, Uli Edel
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
76
86% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
76
86% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
An explosive but scrupulously journalistic drama about the radical group that terrorized Germany for nearly 30 years.
The end result is an electrifying, morally complex story of the evil that men (and women) do in the name of the greater good.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 User Ratings
7.1
83% Positive
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 User Ratings
7.1
83% Positive
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Great film. I went into it expending some propaganda piece one way or the other but i left with thoughts similar to Hitchens about the beautiful display of blurring lines between criminality and rebellion/revolution. It's well casted, well acted. Baader seemed to be a bit over the top psychopath/sociopath, but i don't know the history well enough to know if he was really like that. The movie was very immersive and it hardly felt subtitled at all. Went in skeptical, left a fan.
Report
La bande à Baader ou autrement dit la Fraction Armée Rouge a semé la terreur en Allemagne de l'Ouest dans les années 70... évidemment, ils n'auraient pas osé ni (ni été en mesure de) foutre la merde en RDA, l'ignoble dictature communiste à la botte des Soviets parce qu'on les aurait exécutés illico presto -et que bien sûr dans l'esprit détraqué de ces jeunes anarcho-communistes, le Bloc de l'Est est un parangon de vertu... comme à Viet-Cong land.
C'est assez hallucinant de voir de tels trous du cul prendre les armes dans une Allemagne libre et démocratique mais l'Italie a connu également à la même période ses Brigades Rouges tout aussi tarées. Enlèvements, attentats à la bombe, assassinats, braquages, détournements, prises d'otages, la liste des exactions de ce groupe terroriste est longue comme le bras...
Cela, le film allemand le montre admirablement, le démontre sans oeillères, sans états d'âme et avec une sobriété qui augmentent encore l'impact de ce qui constitue à la fois un quasi-documentaire et un film d'action spectaculaire à la réalisation très rigoureuse. La distribution est très convaincante, sans même parler de la star locale Moritz Bleibtreu, et filles et garçons de la Fraction rendent compte avec à-propos du fanatisme délirant qui habite leurs personnages.
Du côté des Forces de l'ordre, Bruno Ganz est bien entendu parfait, même si -et c'est là une faiblesse du film- le point de vue de l'Etat fédéral n'est pas autant développé que celui de la nébuleuse terroriste. On peut déplorer aussi -sans doute- un léger parti pris du réalisateur -surtout vers le début- tendant à justifier ou en tout cas à ne pas stigmatiser ce qui va devenir une sérieuse épine dans le pied de l'Allemagne...
Bien entendu, toute cette époque est très agitée et compliquée et je ne stigmatiserai pas non plus le réalisateur de vouloir tout montrer, notamment une police répressive, puis carrément énervée bien plus **** par cette bande de cinglés... alors que par ailleurs, les autorités ont souvent fait preuve d'une mollesse certaine vis-à-vis de ces terroristes, une fois emprisonnés. Et cela, le film le montre très bien également. Nous, on avait encore la guillotine à cette époque, ils auraient dû nous les envoyer : on s'en serait occupés...
Enfin, c'est justement la fin qui nous préoccupe, car le film ne présente pas d'épilogue et se conclut abruptement, même si l'on est (quand même) fixé sur le sort de cette vermine. On aurait aimé une vraie conclusion mais vraisemblablement, le réalisateur n'a pas voulu s'engager dans quelque jugement ou réflexion que ce soit, sachant que le sujet est sensible et sujet à la polémique, y compris à notre époque présente au sein de laquelle les jeunes cocos "antifas" prennent de plus en plus d'importance.
Quoi qu'il en soit, voilà un film percutant et très intéressant qui ne manquera pas de faire réagir ni de révolter, mais dans le bon sens du terme : le terrorisme est une abomination et aucune "cause" n'est à même de le justifier.
Report
Seems propelled by a doomed sense of inevitability and is all the more gripping for it.
Fascinating history, very good movie -- but demanding, and its lack of easy answers will frustrate some. Lessons about 21st century terrorism are implicit, but not overly stressed.
If Edel's Oscar-nominated film drags in its final 40 minutes, it's a function of the director's fidelity to the facts - and the fact that the founding trio (and the film's stars) have become prisoners of the state, confined and confused.
The film would have benefitted by being less encompassing and focusing on a more limited number of emblematic characters -- Meinhof and Herold, for starters.
This isn’t revisionist history; it’s a key moment in political radicalism reduced to an empty pop-cultural posture.
Muhteşem bir film. Almanyada çekmil bu dehşet-i cengiz filmi bence kaçırmayın. Almanya siyasi hayatına ışık tutan bu filmin iyi irdelenmesi lazım. Puanım: 10/8.1
Report
“The Baader-Meinhof Group” is a provocative, brutal, German film meticulously directed by Uli Edel "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1990), written by Bernd Eichinger "Downfall" (2004), and stars some of Germany's best actors: Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek and Bruno Ganz. These talents come together to tell the story of the founders of the Red Faction Army (RAF), one of Germany's violent left-wing anti-capitalist group against western imperialism in Germany, whose logo is a combination of a Red Star and an MP5 sub-machine gun.
Working off of transcripts and real-life accounts, Uli Edel simply re-creates the story and history of the Red Army Faction in accordance with the historical record, while never imposing judgment or opinions.
Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks; the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy infiltrating high levels of government is rocking at the very foundations of the fragile German democracy. The radicalized children of the **** generation are led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, and Gudrun Ensslin who 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 **** past. Their aim is to create a more human society, but by employing the use of terrorism and the threat of violence, they lose their own humanity in the process.
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" is visually riveting with fantastic action scenes, and at times can become almost emotionally overwhelming. Edel propels the complex narrative and its myriad ricochets, and it surprisingly holds together quite well. That being said, the sheer length and constant brutality and bloodshed mount, making the viewing of last third of the film laborious. An impressive, well done period piece, but "The Baader-Meinhof Complex" is diluted by too many events, with too many characters, distributed over too much time.
Report
The Baader Meinhof Complex is a very strong political drama which portrays the activities of the first RAF terrorist group and its successors in West Germany in the 1970s. Being also a historical - and educational - movie, establishing a dramatic structure must have been very difficult for the writers, because it feels like the story kinda fizzles out after the first 90 minutes or so, leading to a, in my opinion, abrupt and disappointing ending.
Still a very good and very important historical movie.
Report
Production Company
Constantin Film,
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR),
Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR),
Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR),
ARD Degeto Film,
Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF),
G.T. Film Production,
Dune Films
Release Date Aug 21, 2009
Duration 2 h 30 m
Rating R
Tagline The children of the Nazi generation vowed fascism would never rule their world again.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
German Film Awards
• 4 Nominations
