Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis - Netflix

[robhug]

After watching this last night, I still cant believe it really happened.

The Polis didnt want to know, the journos having top banter with some desperate criminals, the low speed car chases, the beautiful Silke, the cameraman who requested they point the gun at Silke's head so they've got a better picture etc etc etc

Gripping viewing and thoroughly recommended.

[Butchers Blind]

This was all kinds of mad shit. Just everything from the slow moving car chases, the police seemingly allowing everything to play out even after the incident on the bus and the goading journalistic scrum.

Definitely worth a watch.

[Keebleman]

Can't remember any coverage of this in the UK at the time.  The most remarkable thing is the lack of panic,

Spoiler alert

even after the boy on the bus has been shot, although from that point on they don't show any footage of his sister.

[close]

[Butchers Blind]

The getaway car had been prepared by the police so that the engine could be stopped by remote control.

The remote control to stop the car engine was not used since the police officers had forgotten to take it with them.

[Johnny Textface]

Just watched this and it was ace. Their demeanour in the town drinking coffee was reminding me of being fucked on amphetamines. Even sucking their lips. Speed.

[C_Larence]

Just watched this and it was ace. Their demeanour in the town drinking coffee was reminding me of being fucked on amphetamines. Even sucking their lips. Speed.

I thought the same, although there was a remarkable lack of jaw grinding. It seemed like the police's main tactic was to wait for them to get lung cancer from all the cigarettes they were chain smoking.

[Ascent]

Thanks for the recommendation, thought this was very good and well made. Couldn't believe the police's inaction and incompetence. Seemed a different story when they went over the boarder into Holland, no wonder they came back again.

Grabbing the woman from the bathroom and not even considering what the other two would do when she didn't come back? Unbelievably stupid and unforgivable considering what happened next. .

The bit where they were parked drinking coffee was incredibly uncomfortable and tense. Seemed like they were waiting for an excuse to shoot their hostages.

[Alberon]

I'd never heard about this case either until I watched a two part dramatisation from German TV called 54 Hours. Absolutely bizarre story. If I hadn't known it was based on real events I'd have thought the whole thing was far too ludicrous to take seriously.

[Bence Fekete]

Watched last night, wow. What a story. Some incredible scenes from 1000 angles right out of Natural Born Killers

Spoiler alert

fucking gutted the young lass didin't make it. Completely threw me. The young lad too. The twisty agony of emphasising with these fucked up outlaws, while somewhat complicit from our ivory towers and then 2 seconds later pure tragedy.

mostly felt angry at utterly stupid police decisions. Why ram a car with two hostages in it? How was that ever going to end well?

[close]

[lankyguy95]

Grabbing the woman from the bathroom and not even considering what the other two would do when she didn't come back? Unbelievably stupid and unforgivable considering what happened next. .

I couldn't believe it.

"Shall we arrest her?"

Well obviously not. What a stupid ques...

"Yes"

Whaaaaaaaaat?!

Glad it was just a one-off documentary and not a five part series, although there was enough there to merit it. Just as a film, it was really well put together and didn't need any commentary or talking heads. Almost felt lulled in to a similar voyeurism as was being displayed by the reporters and the public.

Obviously knew something was about to go down once they left Cologne and I guessed that the young woman was probably going to die but it still felt like a punch in the gut when it was revealed. I guess her stark beauty was one of the reasons they picked her out as a hostage and made a deal of holding the gun to her, and of course the media lapped it up, the perfect symbol of the sensationalist thirst in contrast to the grim reality of the situation.

[Poobum]

Found it very baffling. Everyone reacting like it was the first ever hostage taking ever. Why the hell did the police allow the press to constantly swarm them? Why was there barely a reaction to them shooting a kid in the head? Surely even back then there's a standard operating procedure for dealing with things like this.