2008: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)

Based on Stefan Aust's nonfiction book of the same name (sans grammar error), the chronicle of left-wing German terrorism is more historically accurate than your average film based on true events, but cramming all of it into a single feature-length film - the classic book adaptation mistake - does the movie no good. The same is true of hiring about every German film actor with a bit of a name. Moritz Bleibtreu tries his very best as Andreas Baader, but it's too much for him. On the upside, the mighty Bruno Ganz as the terrorists' opponent, BKA boss Horst Herold, is brilliant, which leads to him overshadowing the lot of the figures on the other side of the law - an intended effect? Anyway, for all its weaknesses, this is good mid-brow entertainment. (7)