“The bloody legacy of the Baader Meinhof Gang which caused mayhem across West Germany with its politically-motivated assassinations, bombings and kidnappings is to be portrayed on cinema screens this week in a new film which claims to debunk the myth of 1970s terrorist chic. Just how raw the darkest chapter in Germany’s postwar history remains has been demonstrated by the angry reaction that the Baader Meinhof Komplex has prompted from victims’ families, the children of gang members and historians.” (story)

“But the film has been fiercely attacked by critics for its obsession with violence. The children of Baader Meinhof gang members and their victims have described it as tasteless hero worship and even some former terrorists have complained that the production is merely a callous attempt to reap maximum box office profits. […] Jörg Schleyer, the son of the industrialist who was kidnapped and murdered by the RAF, has welcomed Eichinger’s approach. ‘You see how my father’s chauffeur and another passenger in the car were just slaughtered,’ he said. ‘It hurt me to watch it but it is the only way to make clear to young people how brutal and bloodthirsty the RAF was at the time.’” (story)

I haven’t seen the movie, yet, but it looks extremely violent: This is the (long, German-language) trailer. The movie will now (hopefully) put an end to the glorifying of the RAF that I remember so vividly from parts of the German far left. Back then, I found that extremely nauseating, and I still do.