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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 radicalised children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu), Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) and Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) 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 (Bruno Ganz). And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he s only dealing with the tip of the iceberg. —MPI Home Video

Director

Original

Uli Edel

Uli Edel, born April 11, 1947, in Neuenburg am Rhein, at first studied theatre studies and German philology before he went to Munich’s Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (HFF). There, he met Bernd Eichinger who then produced Edel’s short films. Eichinger and Edel already started their long-time collaboration in Munich. After his graduation, Edel worked as an assistant director and editor for Douglas Sirk.

Edel’s and Eichinger’s first major project, “Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo” (“Zoo”, 1981), based on Christiane F.’s autobiography about her heroin addiction, became a huge commercial success. After Edel had finished several movies for German TV, he and Eichinger filmed the Hubert Selby adaptation “Letzte Ausfahrt Brooklyn” (“Last Exit to Brooklyn”, 1989) in the USA. The film won Edel the German film award as well the Bavarian film award.

In 1990, Edel went to Los Angeles and mainly did major TV productions for US networks. In 1996, his TV movie “Rasputin”… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 42 wall posts.
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Michel Poiccard

9Apr12

What a manipulation of movie. The facts and overall the description of the characters are pure bullshit. What an insult to the real RAF.

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Panji

15Jan12

5 Stars rate had crossed my mind (my bad?) considering the great idealism told and cinematograpy during the first 30 minutes. Later on it became repetitive and boring. Yet, it's an important movie about a political movement and the historical actions affected.

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Amani

29Nov11

So amazingly excellent. I love they caught the spirit and chronology of that revolutionary time period: the violence and the conflict between them, the climb and the rise all of it. i also enjoyed how there was a focus on the movement and the opposition to their movement; i personal lives came second. would've had 5 had it not been for the opening nude beach scene.

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

Bernd Eichinger, 1949 - 2011

By David Hudson on January 25, 2011

Bernd Eichinger, the German producer of Oscar-nominated films including Downfall and The Baader Meinhof Complex, died suddenly of a heart

read article
W184

Pedro Costa, Midnight Eye, ND/NF

By David Hudson on March 30, 2010

"For a small group of diligent cinephiles, Criterion's Letters From Fontainhas: Three Films by Pedro Costa is one of the most anticipated

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W184

The Auteurs Daily: Baader, Goebbels and Mephistopheles

By David Hudson on August 20, 2009

Most American audiences likely think of Franka Potente's sweet but dumb boyfriend in Tom Tykwer's Run Lola Run (1998) when - or even if

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DVD Review: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (UK, R2)

By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Bernd Eichinger, acclaimed producer of The Downfall, returns to tackle Germany’s turbulent past in Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, documenting a decade of the activities of the Red Army Faction. Based on Stefan
read on Twitchfilm.com

DVD Review: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (UK, R2)

By Twitchfilm.net on September 25, 2010
Bernd Eichinger, acclaimed producer of The Downfall, returns to tackle Germany’s turbulent past in Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, documenting a decade of the activities of the Red Army Faction. Based on Stefan
read on Twitchfilm.net

Lists

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Reviews

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Conservative Form meets Radical Subjects

By Paul Johnson on April 1, 2011

A calculated film about chaos and its discontents, the movie suffers from its observance of formal convention. Thus the handhold camera at the moment all hell breaks loose during a riot, and the music…  read review

Very Bad !

By Benoît on December 15, 2010

Rarement vu un film avec un sujet aussi intéressant en devenir aussi mauvais. Le traitement est ultra classique, se contentant de montrer des faits, sans réelle introspection de chacun des personnages…  read review

Forum

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Red Army Faction

4 posts by 3 people almost 2 years ago

RIOT!

1 post by 1 person over 2 years ago