The Baader Meinhof Complex

2008 Director Uli Edel

This is Uli Edel's brave exploration of an often forgotten part of German history, the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction, a left-wing terrorist organization that became increasingly active in the 60's and 70's.

Also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, after its founders Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, the Red Army Faction was formed by the radicalized children of the Nazi generation. Their aim is to create a more human society but by employing inhuman means they not only spread terror and bloodshed, they also lost 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

The film is adapted from author Stefan Aust's definitive account of this revolutionary group. The action is interspersed with media footage and is gritty and fast paced. Moritz Bleitreu plays Andreas superbly. Many of the original locations were used in this film including the court where their final destiny was to play out. If you want to feel the winds of change that swept through Europe in the late 1960's and 1970's then this is a must-see film.