A taut, unnerving, forcefully unromantic film.
Comment
08/21/09
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2009)
86
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:70
Rotten:11
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Intricately researched and impressively authentic slice of modern German History, with a terrific cast, assured direction, and a cracking script.
Theatrical Release:14-11-2008
Synopsis: 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 radicalized... [More]
Starring: Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, Johanna Wokalek, Bruno Ganz
Director: Uli Edel
Reviews for The Baader Meinhof Complex
Top CriticMeticulous and fascinating, this stark look at ideological terrorism within a democracy . . remains gripping because of the three captivating central figures.
08/21/09
...a watery historic stew crammed with too many events and not enough context or character development to fill out what could have been a compelling film.
08/20/09
Simultaneously absorbing and alienating
08/20/09
Watching The Baader-Meinhof Complex is like a trip to a recent past that is too easily forgotten.
08/19/09
This isn’t revisionist history; it’s a key moment in political radicalism reduced to an empty pop-cultural posture.
08/19/09
A throwback to American filmmaking of the ’70s, a pulse-pounding political thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the inevitable bloody conclusion; Germany’s Bonnie and Clyde, with a political conscience.
08/19/09
The movie has an undeniable sweep, increasing in intensity once the principals are arrested in June 1972.
08/18/09
Baad and Baader extreme women rule, in this bold, more-than-meets-the eye brand of moviemaking, while the impassioned political thriller dissects the Red Army Faction's ideological seduction of actually one fourth of the German population.
08/16/09
Edel uses a variety of film stocks to match the patchiness of the vintage footage he weaves into his narrative, adding to the authentic feel. If he meanders off track at times, it is because there is much to cover here. This could easily have been a long
08/10/09
To do full justice to this fascinating subject, you'd need a director with something like Martin Scorsese's appetite for detail, capacity for spectacle, and willingness to face up to his own ambivalence.
05/15/09
You want to know more and Eichinger's script isn't even going to try to enlighten you. The action surges on to the next act of destruction, where Edel's uninflected style works much more effectively.
05/15/09
Brilliantly made and utterly compelling from beginning to end.
05/08/09
I’d have been happy if this 2.5-hour film had been even longer than it is because, despite its immediacy and the skill with which the events are recreated, it only scratches the surface.
05/08/09
At its most arresting when it dwells in the ambiguity that clouds seemingly righteous action.
05/06/09
It has that German virtue of clarity, but not much depth of analysis. It certainly doesn't romanticise the terrorists.
05/01/09
In trying to cram a great deal into 150 minutes, the filmmakers necessarily jump scenes like puddles, and sometimes the audience gets lost. But I can excuse this flaw; for one thing, the patchwork or montage style provides the time frame
05/01/09
The film highlights the ugliest side of human nature and as a result it is a sobering experience, reinforcing the futility of violence
05/01/09
an kai synarpastiko mathima neoteris eyropaikis istorias se apsogo tehnika perityligma entonoy politikoy thriler, prospathontas na horesei ena toso megalo kai pykno hroniko, se diarkeia tainias, afinei ektos estiasis pragmata poy tha aksizan tainion apo m
11/08/08
A long but powerful true-life drama of 1970s German terrorists features masterful storytelling and bravura performances.
10/03/08
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