Just like the other film by Bernd Eichinger, Der Untergang (2004), Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008) is necessary for the German and foreign audience because of the importance of the German history after WW2. Der Untergang was innovating because it gave the viewer a backstage-pass to the life of Adolf Hitler. Same here with Der Baader Meinhof Komplex.
While the world was under the spell of the cold war, Europe was putting the pieces back together, Germany had other issues. The RAF (Rote Armee Fraktion) had a really big influence on the in identity-crisis being Germany, no one can deny that. There was fear and uncertainty under the people during that time and with the left orientated terrorists of the RAF an assault was always lying in wait.
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex gives us in a great way sight in that Germany. The acting is great, the cinematography also, but the complexity of that specific period in German history is too large to attend to in one film. There are too many characters and most of them are not even introduced. There is too much else going on to explore the whole story.
But it gives us a clue in what the guidelines are in this political race, and in that the film is successful.
energ's Reviews
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The first time I saw this dark comedy-drama was on one of my rare free sundays when I put on the telly out of complete boredom. I was planning on watching some MTV, but they had some lame-ass weekendbreak I didnt want to see.
So in my zapping adventure I turned on channel 4 (RTL4) and there it was: the king of comedy, halfway through, just one hour to go untill the end. Never heard of it, didnt even knew the name till I looked it op on teletext and had no clue it was a Scorsese film. But I saw de Niro and thought to myself, this cant be wrong. I was chained to the television - well, not from the start - till the end. Such grim comedy, such gripping story and sometimes emberrassing. Later I watched it completely and then once more, and one more..The king of comedy belongs in the group of Scorsese films that are fairly obscure and hardly thought of as the type of movie Scorsese would make.
De Niro, only maybe ten movies shy of spending an entire career on gangsters, tough guys, and troubled borderline madmen, delivers a wonderful performance as Rupert Pupkin, a troubled man, criminal and troubled in his own eccentric ways, but in such a way that's cleverly funny.
Rupert Pumpkin wants to be the king of comedy and would do anything to achieve this title. You could compare this film with 'Taxi Driver', both films are about men who have nothing, and will do anything to get what they want. I believe Rupert could be more dangerous than Travis. Rupert wants success, and he will do anything to get it. And in this darkly funny film we watch, sympathize and laugh with Rupert Pumpkin, who wants to be so much more then he was. He wants to be the king of comedy!
I can recommend this movie to all of you. I really do!
