"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"
Based on true events this is a very strong film. Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others) plays Ulrike Meinhoff, a well intentioned journalist who finds herself being drawn in to the RAF (Red Army Faction). Martin Bleibtreu (Das Experiment, Munich) plays the unhinged leader of The RAF, Andreas Baader. A lot of the later part of the film centres around the ideological disputes between the 2 main characters. Bruno Ganz (Downfall) plays thre inspector charged with hunting them down.
Whilst it is a very well made movie it is just too long. The middle section noticeably drags. I don't think the splicing insertion of real footage always works either. Having said that this is a good film and well worth the watch.
7/10
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