Movie Review - The Baader-Meinhof Complex

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replying the story in its archived form does not constitute a re-publiccation of the story.

The Baader-Meinhof Complex tells the true story of the rise of terrorism in Western Europe in the late 1960s.  Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) and his girlfriend Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) are left wing extremists flirting with acts of violence as the film opens.  They fancy themselves revolutionaries lashing out at a (perceived) fascist right-wing German government.  The two are convicted of bombing a department store when Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck), a left-leaning journalist, finds herself becoming increasingly sympathetic their cause.  As Meinhof is drawn in by their rhetoric, she decides to help the two breakout of prison.  She agrees to interview them for her publication while secretly colluding to aid in their escape.  The plan is designed to allow her to deny involvement but when they flee, she impulsive decides to follow.  Meinhof, as the closest person to “normal,” is our entry point into the seedy world of extremism.  It’s her journey we take. 

As The Baader-Meinhof Group (which was more commonly known as The Red Army Faction) rises to prominence; the German government assembles a task force to take them down.  The leader of said task force, while steadfast in his determination to bring them to justice, is frustrated with the reigning political administration’s myopic analysis of terrorism.  They view terrorism as an act so vile that it precludes any discussion of the motives that predicated it, even if those discussions are only to determine what future acts might be perpetrated. 

As the group becomes more and more notorious, a rift grows as Meinhof falls further into her leftist philosophy while Baader becomes more and more jaded.  His temper flares when, while in Italy, his car is stolen.  He has become so self-involved that he is unable to see the irony in the fact that he had stolen the car in the first place.  As a criminal, he was subversively protesting capitalism; as a victim he’s enraged at his loss of property - an interesting attitude for such a vociferous communist.  While the group is in exile they decide to enter a Palestinian training camp; a move that quickly descends into a comedy of errors.  Though both groups want revolution, one group is driven by fanatical conservatism while the other is driven by radical liberalism.  Each is equally appalled by the other’s lifestyle.  In the end, the only thing they have in common is their hatred of Jews. 

At times, Baader behaves almost like a petulant child.  At one point he breaks out of prison rather than completing a 10-month sentence.  As we watch the body count (of both RAF members and police) begin to escalate, it becomes subtly apparent that Baader is just as willing to let young men die for his purposes as the “imperialists” that are waging war in Vietnam are.  But the filmmakers deftly present these points, never beating us over the head.  The RAF tries (though not successfully) to avoid killing “civilians.”  And their world view is reaffirmed when, after being captured, the police beat them.  Conversely, the government is out to prevent the whole sale slaughter of their citizens and strives to give them every opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law; a trial that the RAF makes a mockery of.  In a way, both sides are heroes in their own film and villains in each other’s.

The film is a fascinating and exhilarating study of the roots of terrorism and the intricate game of cat-and-mouse that they played with the German government.  It explores the personalities and the motivations behind the acts with a cool detachment; never fully condoning nor condemning either side.  In lesser hands, a perspective free of indignation would be tantamount to a tacit approval of terrorism.  But director Uli Edel keeps thing on an even keel.  The film maintains a delicate balance.  It’s exciting without glamorizing; educational without being preachy.  Edel has managed to create an intellectually stimulating action film that simultaneously entertains and enlightens. 

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being Munich and 1 being Rambo III, The Baader-Meinhof Complex gets a 9.

This article also has 1 video attached to it.