The Baader Meinhof Complex is a relentless film, which brings the era and conquests of Germany’s Red Army Faction terrorist group to life. The well-researched account is dramatised showing a post-war Germany struggling to find its feet in a new democracy. The youth have their backs to the Nazi regime, fearing the enemy inside and taking action against American imperialists during the Vietnam War. Der Baader Meinhof Komplex is based on the book by Stefan Aust and directed by Uli Edel, whose career has spanned several decades. The political activism and terrorist tendencies are contentious, yet apt for this period in history. The Vietnam environment has been expressed from an American perspective to the point that it’s become an integral part of popular culture. However, Der Baader Meinhof Komplex takes a largely unpopular view from a German perspective and makes it accessible to any audience. The movie is captivating and Edel’s vivid story-telling keeps one alert, while the history of the organisation unfolds from the perspective of several young conspirators: Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck), Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) and Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek).
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex embodies a spirit of rebellion that underpins every scene. The teenage angst and political fervor of the time would have stirred most students to protest, however Germany’s fragile state of affairs and dark World War history cast an even more fanatical shade on these terror events. The film is jam-packed with references, news reports, writings and documentation to the point that one would have expected a mini-series. The film skims over events, giving a solid documentary overview, concentrating on its core RAF members and their predatory high police command in Horst Herold (Bruno Ganz). This doesn’t leave room for much interpretation, but does feign a guise of objectivity without being overly critical. The character’s motivation isn’t justified to the audience, and its all taken from an outsider’s perspective. This does limit the humanity of the film, but helps focus on the information like a newspaper with a historical lucidity. The action sequences realise the era and threat of a policed state, and the radical means by which the underground organisation was maintained.
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex is like a series of descriptive journalistic reports that mesh into one complete story. The detail, intensity and riveting conventions of Aust’s book are translated into film. It’s informative, well-researched and moves at a frenetic pace… balancing a violent and sexual revolution within the context of an unstable Germany. The history is fascinating, the performances are in their own class and the direction/cinematography is fluid. Der Baader Meinhof Komplex may be long, clocking in at 2 and a half hours, but its story is engrossing and even inspiring. The undercurrent may be red and bound by strength in numbers against a Fascist police state, but your political affiliation isn’t questioned. Der Baader Meinhof Komplex makes you root for the underdog. Their views may have been radical, but the rebellion of youth strikes a chord in most people’s hearts and this will keep you immersed in all the action and drama. The Komplex is gripping and will keep you glued to your seat, but it fails to connect on an emotional level, which is why it doesn’t clinch the title of masterpiece. This is a film that received an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and it will appeal to those that felt enlightened by movies like Downfall and Munich.
The bottom line: Intense.
