The Red Baron (Der rote Baron) (2008)
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20% of critics liked it
(25 reviews) -
45% of users liked it
(10,758 ratings)
The true story of one of World War One's deadliest air aces comes to the screen in this historical drama. Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighöfer) becomes fascinated with flying when he's just a boy, and as a young man he joins the German army and becomes part of their budding air… More The true story of one of World War One's deadliest air aces comes to the screen in this historical drama. Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighöfer) becomes fascinated with flying when he's just a boy, and as a young man he joins the German army and becomes part of their budding air force. Flying in a squadron with his best friend, Werner Voss (Til Schweiger), von Richthofen is a pilot with a great talent for aerial battle, but he also has a sense of honor and fair play, and he and his cohorts often pay tribute to fallen opponents by dropping wreaths over the wreckage of their planes. When von Richthofen and Voss discover a Canadian pilot, Capt. Roy Brown (Joseph Fiennes), who has been stranded in German territory, they rescue the flier rather than leave an enemy soldier to die, and while bringing him to safety Manfred meets Käte Otersdorf (Lena Headey), a military nurse who has devoted her life to helping those wounded by war. Manfred becomes deeply infatuated with Käte, but while she is also taken with him, she cannot abide his open embrace of the blood sport of war, and even as he becomes one of Germany's most decorated pilots, downing countless enemy planes, he comes to understand the true horror of war and the consequences of his actions. Von Richthofen gains an even greater perspective on war when he encounters Capt. Brown one last time. Der Rote Baron (aka The Red Baron) was shot in both German- and English-language versions, with the same cast appearing in both. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nikolai Müllerschön
- Written By
- Nikolai Muellerschoen, Nikolai Müllerschön
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance
- In Theaters
- Mar 31, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- Monterey Media
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
If the film is intelligent and thoughtful, it is unfortunately lacking in energy and passion; it is more a somber, highly familiar reflection on warfare and its toll than an action movie.
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Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Drama about World War I flying aces never gets off the ground.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
His plane may be red, but the dialogue is purple.
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Jason Anderson, Toronto Star
The propaganda films produced by both sides in the '30s and '40s might've been objectionable for many reasons but at least they had the good sense to show real planes in action.
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Tom Huddlestone, Time Out
So while the earthbound sequences may drag, when 'The Red Baron' takes to the skies, it soars.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Matthias Schweighöfer
as Manfred Von Richthofen
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Lena Headey
as Käte, Käte, K?te
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Til Schweiger
as Voss
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Joseph Fiennes
as Captain Brown
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Volker Bruch
as Lothar von Richthofen
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Steffen Schroeder
as Bodenschatz
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Axel Prahl
as General von Hoeppner
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Maxim Mehmet
as Sternberg
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Hanno Koffler
as Lehmann
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Tino Mewes
as Wolff
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Ralph Misske
as Menzke
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Josef Vinklár
as Hindenburg
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Ladislav Frej
as Kaiser Wilhelm
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Jan Vlasák
as Major von Richtofen
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Julie Engelbrecht
as Ilse
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Gitta Schweighöfer
as Kunigunde von Richthofen



