Baader-Meinhof Complex

From what we learned and discussed in class I knew what the movie, Baader-Meinhof Complex, was going to be about. I expected to see the violence and other aspects that we would not normally see in an American movie. I wasn’t, however, prepared for the violence at that level and to that extent. In the beginning of the movie I sympathized for the extremists and the way that they were treated. It seemed as if no one cared for what they had to say or what they were protesting. I could not believe how the police treated them. The police are supposed to keep peace not sit back and watch the happenings. I did not expect Ulrike Meinhof to join the RAF. In the early stages of the movie Meinhof showed up to one of the protests, but was not brought to prison because she was a widely known journalist. She loved her family and could not imagine leaving her children so the thought of joining the extremists tore her in both directions. I was surprised when she finally joined.  As the movie continued on and the terrorist aspect started showing and growing more violent, with the bombings and such, I lost all my sympathies for the extremists. I believe that they deserved what was coming for them. I don’t believe that they should have been shot down, but I do believe that they all deserved prison sentences. That kind of violence should not go unpunished.  This is not a movie that I would ever watch again, nor would I have ever given it a thought to watch before taking this class.