Film Reviews

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex

• Rating:
• Director: Uli Edel.
• Starring: Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, Joanna Wokalek, Bruno Ganz.
• Details: Germany/France/Czech Republic / 150 mins (18).

The RAF (Red Army Faction) was a militant left-wing group active in West Germany from the '70s - '90s, headed up by Andreas Baadar (Belbtreu) and journalist Ulrike Meinhoff (Gedeck). Wary that their government would return to the right-wing days of Hitler (some Nazi's still held prominent government positions), the RAF's demonstrations turned to kidnapping, bombing, hijacking and murder. All the while, Bruno Ganz's government official, although understanding of the group's stance, systematically tracks them down... As a history lesson The Baadar-Meinhof Complex can't be beat - no stone is left unturned as Edel, adapting Stefan Aust's book, gives a (very) detailed account of their story. As a film, though, it's flawed. Even though it takes 150 mins (outstaying its welcome) to tell the story, the proceedings still feel rushed and there doesn't seem to be any structure to the plot - just a case of 'this happened', then 'that', then 'this', etc. That's not the biggest problem, however. Although filled with good performances by actors who get enough screen time to distinguish themselves from the rest of the cast, there are no characters: everyone seems to be just a mouthpiece for rhetoric, with dialogue reduced to political debate only. Meinhof is the only character that feels like he could exist outside the camera's frame; with a cheating husband and two kids in her back story, she's fleshed out, but all that is soon forgotten. Even an excellent actor like Ganz (Downfall) can't rise above the thinly sketched characterisation afforded him. It is a fascinating watch and there's a lot to like here but the subject deserved a better film.

Review by Gavin Burke