The Baader Meinhof Complex
Seen it?2008 | 149 min | Action, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (85% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans, anyone who likes to be kept guessing and action fans. If you loved Midnight Express or Coffy, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense, dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 29 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
When German police viciously quell a protest against the shah of Iran, popular journalist Ulrike Meinhof rebels against her dishonest marriage, walks away from her children and joins radical anarchist Andreas Baader. Together with Baader's girlfriend, Gudrun Ensslin, they form the violent Red Faction Army, and together perpetrate a slew of terrorist attacks as a way of disrupting the fabric of what they see as an increasingly fascist state.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
85% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.0 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$27 million worldwide on a $20 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 58K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Uli Edel
- Martina GedeckUlrike Meinhof
- Moritz BleibtreuAndreas Baader
- Johanna WokalekGudrun Ensslin
- Nadja UhlBrigitte Mohnhaupt
- Stipe ErcegHolger Meins
- Niels-Bruno SchmidtJan Karl Raspe
- Vinzenz KieferPeter-Jürgen Boock
- Simon LichtHorst Mahler
- Alexandra Maria LaraPetra Schelm
- Bruno GanzHorst Herold