The Baader Meinhof Complex 2008

type: Movie

language: German

duration: 150 min

genre: drama

theme: biographical

director: Uli Edel

Score: 6 / 10

The Baader Meinhof Complex ( ) is a 2008 German drama film directed by Uli Edel. Written and produced by Bernd Eichinger, it stars Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, and Johanna Wokalek. The film is based on the 1985 German best selling non-fiction book of the same name by Stefan Aust. It retells the story of the early years of the West German far-left terrorist organisation the Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Fraction, or Red Army Faction, a.k.a. RAF) from 1967 to 1977.

Plot

In 1967, a visit by the Shah of Iran to West Berlin leads to a clash between the West German student movement and German police. In the chaos, unarmed protestor Benno Ohnesorg is fatally shot by policeman Karl-Heinz Kurras, outraging the West German public, including left-wing journalist Ulrike Meinhof, who claims in a televised debate that West Germany is a fascist police state. Inspired by Meinhof's rhetoric, radical communists Gudrun Ensslin and Andreas Baader mastermind the Frankfurt department store firebombings of 1968. While covering their trial, Meinhof is moved by the radicals' commitment and befriends Ensslin during a prison interview before leaving her husband for radical-linked journalist Peter Homann. Left-wing activist Rudi Dutschke is injured in an assassination attempt by neo-nazi Josef Bachmann, further radicalizing the Left.

Cast

More details

author	Bernd Eichinger
contentLocation	Berlin
director	Uli Edel
editor	Alexander Berner
events	Red Army Faction
genre	action drama political thriller
keywords	a new campaign of terror act andreas baader arrest assassination attempt astrid proll attorney general barred window benno ohnesorg bomb brigitte mohnhaupt christian klar department store direct action dresdner bank emotional abuse fascist fatah federal criminal police office frankfurt department store firebombings german autumn german federal police german pub government negotiation with terrorists gsg 9 gudrun ensslin gunshot wound holger meins horst herold hunger strike injured irmgard möller jan-carl raspe jordan josef bachmann jürgen ponto karl-heinz kurras kill lufthansa flight 181 military base mohammed reza pahlavi morning municipal police murder peter-jurgen boock petra schelm plan police chief police state police station popular front for the liberation of palestine red army refuses to negotiate resisting arrest rudi dutschke seize the west german embassy in stockholm shah of iran sicily siegfried buback siegfried hausner smuggle solitary confinement stab stammheim prison stefan aust suffer suicide bomber susanne albrecht taunt train ulrich wessel ulrike meinhof united states military violent action west west berlin west german embassy siege in stockholm west german student movement west germany
musicBy	Florian Tessloff Peter Hinderthür
nomination	Academy Award for Best International Feature Film European Film Academy Prix d'Excellence European Film Award for Best Actor European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film International Submission to the Academy Awards
producer	Bernd Eichinger
productionCompany	Constantin Film
publisher	Constantin Film Verleih
recordedAt	Berlin Germany Morocco Munich Prague
theme	biographical biographical drama political thriller terrorism