Blekingegadebanden

Curiosidades
Based on the true story of "Blekingegadebanden", which was a far left wing criminal group, that planned and executed many bank coups and similar crimes. They did this in order to gain money they could send to the Palestinian group: PFLP. The group was active from 1972 to 1989, when the Danish police caught them. The Danish police secret intelligence agency (PET) had the group under observation for a long period, but did not arrest them or give information about the to the normal Danish police. In their last coup, against a post office central in Købmagergade in Copenhagen, one policeman was killed. This death put a lot pressure on the police and PET to catch the group. The police had little evidence against the group, until one of the group's members had a traffic accident. In his car they found many suspicious things, normally used for burglary. And in the car they also found the address for an apartment in Blekingegade (a street in Copenhagen). In this apartment Danish police found many weapons and evidence that linked the group to the coup in Købmagergade. And it also this street that eventually gave the group its name in the press. The group was charged for a lot of crimes relating to the coup. But no one from the group ever admitted who had killed the policeman, and no one was charged for the murder.

This is a documentary of feature length. It consists of interviews, stills, integrated sound recordings, clips from actual shot material(but not movies) and some reconstruction. This deals with the well-known gang, the mindset and motivation behind them, their robberies and, one of the areas that are given the focus throughout, the night in 1988 where one of them shot a police officer. Both sides are heard. Law enforcement and members of the group all share their thoughts and describe their reactions, and several attempt to explain, after having come to comprehend it themselves, why they, or the people above or next to them in the hierarchy did as they did. The portions of this that are directed, staged, never take over, and act more as... "dramatized" reality, let's call it that, to give a sense of the situations, to further deliver strong impact, along with the verbal retellings and speeches that are played. This is not a film, and those sequences do not lose sight of that fact. It is an exploration of a group of people, who, as it is pointed out early on, all came from quiet, normal backgrounds, yet went on to become criminals. After watching this, you won't know who fired that bullet, one early morning in the late eighties. Only a handful of people do, and they continue to keep the secret. However, you may have gained a greater understanding of that group of Danes. This holds a little harsh language, and footage that is disturbing. This is best viewed if you have a basic knowledge of the events. I recommend this warmly to anyone who wishes to find out all the information that they can about those involved with the title faction. 8/10