100
Chicago Reader by J.R. Jones
An explosive but scrupulously journalistic drama about the radical group that terrorized Germany for nearly 30 years.
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Germany,
- France,
- Czech Republic
- 2008
- · 150m
Director
Uli Edel
Cast
Martina Gedeck,
Moritz Bleibtreu,
Johanna Wokalek,
Nadja Uhl,
Stipe Erceg,
Niels-Bruno Schmidt
Genre
Action,
Crime,
Drama,
History,
Thriller
The radicalized children of the Nazi generation led by Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, and Gudrun Ensslin 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.
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What are critics saying?
91
Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer
It leaves us with a question that may be unanswerable: How does one extinguish terrorism when its causes are myriad?
90
The Hollywood Reporter
A long but powerful true-life drama of 1970s German terrorists features masterful storytelling and bravura performances.
90
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
A taut, unnerving, forcefully unromantic fictional film.
90
The Hollywood Reporter by Bonnie J. Gordon
A long but powerful true-life drama of 1970s German terrorists features masterful storytelling and bravura performances.
89
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
The end result is an electrifying, morally complex story of the evil that men (and women) do in the name of the greater good.
88
St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Calvin Wilson
Has been criticized as endorsing or condoning violence, but that assessment is unfair and inaccurate. If terrorism is to be eliminated, it must be understood, not oversimplified.
88
Baltimore Sun by Michael Sragow
The result is an exciting, infuriating, combative experience.
80
Slate
Edel's clear-eyed and exhaustively researched account is unique in its refusal to either romanticize or villainize the terrorists. It's a study in the seductive appeal, and inevitable failure, of the attempt to bomb one's way to a better world.
80
Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan
A fascinating hybrid of a film. Even though its purpose couldn't be more serious, its style could hardly be more pulp.
80
The New Yorker by Anthony Lane
I have seen The Baader Meinhof Complex three or four times now, and, despite exasperation with its fissile form, I find it impossible not to be plunged afresh into this engulfing age of European anxiety.
80
Empire by Kim Newman
Fascinating history, very good movie -- but demanding, and its lack of easy answers will frustrate some. Lessons about 21st century terrorism are implicit, but not overly stressed.
80
Slate by Dana Stevens
Edel's clear-eyed and exhaustively researched account is unique in its refusal to either romanticize or villainize the terrorists. It's a study in the seductive appeal, and inevitable failure, of the attempt to bomb one's way to a better world.
70
Salon by Andrew O'Hehir
This is no art film, but Edel and Eichinger supply an action-packed, reasonably coherent account of youthful rock 'n' roll idealism run amok, and how it produced the craziest phenomenon of the crazy European far left.
70
Village Voice by J. Hoberman
The movie is a sweeping, hectic docudrama that would have been immeasurably helped by the use of informational intertitles.
50
Variety
An explosive performance by Johanna Wokalek gives some relief to an otherwise long and humdrum series of characters.
40
Time Out by David Fear
This isn’t revisionist history; it’s a key moment in political radicalism reduced to an empty pop-cultural posture.
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