The Baader-Meinhof Komplex

I was very much looking forward to this movie which tries to tell the story of the Roten Armee Fraktion / Red Army Fraction (RAF), the best-known terrorist organisation Germany has ever known. Sometimes also called the Baader-Meinhof Group (because of two of the three driving forces behind the group) they were responsible for bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations in the late 1960s and '70s.

The movie is based on Stefan Aust's best-selling nonfiction book, and that is probably also the reason for the main weaknesses of the movie.

1. It is very hard to understand who this movie is for. It's not for those who don't know anything about this period in German history, as most scenes are not well connected to each other and don't explain the reasoning behind the terrorists' actions. Not surprisingly when you want to put 14 years into 140 minutes.
The movie also failed to captivate those (like me) who were (slightly) familiar with the story, as I felt I didn't learn anything new, except maybe the active role of Gudrun Ensslin. And those who know a lot about the story, will be frustrated at how simplified and one-sided most of the story is.

2. The acting is very good with some exceptions, but there is not a lot of character development (except for Ulrike Meinhof who is portrayed as a misguided, weak bundle of misery). And some characters are not even introduced, so it is hard to understand why they would go throw away their young lives.

3. There are some dull moments but most of the time I didn't lose attention because of the subject matter.

I'd give this movie 3 out of 5 because of the great acting, the interesting story (most of the time) and the social importance.

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 yet fragile German democracy. The radicalised children of the Nazi generation lead 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. 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. And while he succeeds in his relentless pursuit of the young terrorists, he knows he's only dealing with the tip of the iceberg