Perfectly adorable

Brilliant and touching

A Brilliant Conflict

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

And this is what I like. We can read about it later if we want more details. The reconstitution here is just plain great. Great fights, great bombings, great shootings, better than americans. The acting is excellent. We are plunged into a dark past for two hours. And the germans make the best terrorists.

It's 1967 Germany. Leftist journalist Ulrike Meinhof witnesses students demonstrating against the Shah being attacked by Iranian thugs with the silent approval of the German police. Gudrun Ensslin leaves her life to join Andreas Baader and others on their violent revolutionary. It is a world of political radicalization against the Vietnam war, American imperialism, and Arab nationalism against Israel while rebelling against their parents' Nazi past.This is an unflinching look at these terrorists. It's potent blend of youthful exuberance, political absolutism, criminal morality, and intense believes. It doesn't make them stars but rather terribly flawed humans rebelling against a rigid system. I think some people want the movie to explain the political landscape more and justify their actions. What I find interesting is that at some point, their actions seem to justify themselves. They push themselves further and further. It's a look at home grown terrorism without slick romanticism. There is plenty of action but it is the strip down realism that is so striking.

Most people have most likely forgotten this era in the history of Europe. But those that grew up in these times can most likely remember this well. There were of course more terrorist groups in those days but for myself, coming from The Netherlands, these were one of the more notorious groups. Although the cause was not as much the problem, the means to try to achieve this were of course totally unacceptable. The movie is a good depiction of this era and all what happened around the Baader Meinhoff group. Possibly not all fact are true in the movie but it's not a documentary, it's a proper movie with high realism. You have to see this in German of course, that adds to the realism of the movie. I think it's well played, no nonsense, believable characters. Watch it, well worth it I think!

I remember the Baader-Meinhof "gang" only from the scant news reports at the time as they were presented in the U.S. press. Recently I was reading a John LeCarre novel, "Absolute Friends" and at the beginning one of the characters is involved with the democratic protests in Germany in the 60's and the names of Rudi Dutschke and Ulrike Meinhof were referred to. So having looked them up, I read a bit about them and then while reading about the RAF (Red Army Faction), I came across a reference to this film. So the film was quite arresting and engaging and provides a narrative to the events as reported over 10 years. All the events are supposedly factual.According to the film we have a group of youthful activists whose parents lived through the Nazi era and opposed Nazism, quietly opposed Nazism, and these activists were concerned that the rise of fascism in Germany and especially the U.S. was taking place and they wanted to fight for a freer more democratic world. However, the group evolves or rather devolves into violent extremists whose plans for this better world goes completely haywire.Still I found it impossible to completely dismiss their aims as "freedom fighters" though the film sort of does that, but at the same time it's impossible to embrace them as democratic political operatives who just went astray. They became murderers, unreasonable and no doubt totally crazed. Their message was clear but their means to achieve that message fit in with the insanity of the times which only allowed for either/or positions, no compromise nor clear-headed thinking and action. Their blows against the state inspired very few and certainly didn't cause the masses to rise up.As I reflect upon this film, it becomes clear that the state was far more formidable then the RAF thought it might be, and if we pay attention to current events, today it should be clear that it is even more formidable. So what we have in this film is more a cautionary tale being told than just a thrilling entertainment or a historical narrative. Cinematically speaking excellent story, great action, terrific acting and direction. Some reviewers think less of this film because there are too many characters. Perhaps. But the best thing would be to read a bit about them before viewing.