Hot take: Gladbeck: the Hostage Crisis is the greatest documentary of all time. There. I said it. Why? Because it is. And I have a key. Critical. Scientifically, totally sound… and untopplable. And I think I can do it in a sentence. Nope. This is THiNC. we are talking about here. I can’t do anything in a sentence. Most documentaries are narrated. You are guided by a person that has assembled a case, and then they pitch you on this well documented and very logical case. Right? I believe McDonalds is bad for you – I eat only McDonalds, and then tell you about my horrible, life altering journey. You get the idea. But with Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis… there is no narrator. There is no pitch that you are sold on. There is not a single argument to be made. Gladbeck is simply the footage, the news stories, the photos, the video, that captured this shockingly horrible experience.
Is what I’m saying sinking in? The movie opens with archival footage. It rounds out the story with archival footage. It ends the story with archival footage. Any arguments in any direction? Are made from the time itself. From the people experiencing the hostage crisis in real time. Like – wait – did I mention that the Gladbeck hostage crisis happened in August 1988?? We were still using Microfiche back then for the love of all that is good and holy. Here. Have a trailer. I can’t believe you haven’t already hit play actually. Kind of annoyed really.
Now – because I only want to talk spoilers with the folks that have already watched the movie – could those of you who haven’t seen it click this link right here and go watch it? Thanks for that.
Spoiler Filled Discussion of the Gladbeck Hostage Crisis
The brilliance of the movie, is that the events themselves are commentary of their very own. There is no need for someone to say… holy CRAP, this is a media circus… because it’s obvious it’s one big horrible cluster. So big, that it was obvious that something had to change, right? Anyway, let’s take a look at the actual events as they unfolded and talk them through.
August 16th – This part (and the very ending) are two of the least clear sections of this story from the documentary’s standpoint. Why? Because no one was there to record it when it happened. But we learn through news accounts, that two armed bank robbers broke into the Deutsche Bank in Gladbeck before the bank opened. Someone that witnessed what was happening called the police and informed them that a bank robbery was occurring. When the bank robbers left the bank, the robbers noticed a police car, and they hustled back into the bank and took two clerks hostage. At which point, the robbers told the police that they wanted a car and a ransom for the return of the hostages.
Enter the madness – at that point, nothing was known about the robbers. But when a local radio station made contact with the robbers, the robbers were kind enough to give an interview mid-hostage crisis. A little bit later, the robbers were given 300,000 marks, which when converted to dollars and accounted for inflation? Would be worth, what? Something like $500,000 today? (300,000 marks times a historical conversion rate of about 1.7, times 2.47 inflation rate?? Yeah. Let’s call it a half a million dollars in simple math.) They were also given an Audi 100 to get away in. (Which, was flag number one that these guys weren’t that smart. Seriously, the police are going to give you half a million and just let you run?)
Now, this took me a minute to understand. They took two bank employees with them as hostages. Okay? But one of them, Marion Löblich, was the girlfriend of one of the robbers (Hans-Jürgen Rösner). That is how the number of robbers went from 2 to 3. So, the bank robbery was actually an inside job that went sideways. That also wasn’t readily apparent to me by watching the documentary.
August 17th – the getaway was a success!! hahah. The criminals fled to Bremen and then hijacked a flipping bus filled with 32 passengers in the early morning light. This thing is snowballing. The media and news shows were now conducting interviews with criminals at will. Circus doesn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere. I think five hostages were released and some were just shocked to be able to just get up and walk away. And then away the bus goes to Grundergsee. Are you getting the sense that these guys have a flawed idea of being able to eventually escape? Like how? Sure, they are ready to die. But realistically? They delusionally believe that they’ll get away? I think a book, an entire treatise, could be written on this flight of fancy.
Now, a day and a half into this chaos, when Löblich uses the bathroom, she is arrested. Speaking, of which, the movie does actually do a smidge of commentary by the way they highlight random details. Like when one of the robbers is sitting with his gun in his lap while holding court. There were numerous moments where the police could have killed, apprehended, stopped this circus. But the one moment when the police step out, it immediately goes poorly when – demanding to have Löblich returned – a 14- year-old is shot in the head (Who, it was said, was attempting to protect his sister) after a five minute count down. The saddest part, Löblich was actually released, but because of a broken handcuff key, was late, and because the police didn’t communicate, Emanuele De Giorgi ended up dying.
Not covered by the documentary, soon after the killing, and as the bus was heading to the Netherlands, a police car crashed, colliding with a truck, and a police officer ended up dying. You didn’t think you were getting out of this experience unscathed did you?
August 18th – early that morning, 5 hostages were released. And the reason was because the police refused to negotiate while children were still captive. At around 6:30 that morning, the captors were given a BMW. Unbeknownst to the robbers, the car had been rigged to be disabled via remote control… which I had no idea about while watching the show. Which, actually makes sense, seeing as though we only learn what the public knew in the real time experience of the event. It was also during this time that Löblich and the bus driver were injured while attempting to escape from the cops. Then later, in a stop in Wuppertal, the robbers made a casual stop at a local pharmacy.
At 10:30 am, their car is engulfed by reporters, camera men, and people dying to talk to them. This is where it became extraordinarily clear that the media was attempting to assist the criminals in any way that they could. They even gave the robbers photos of the police in order to keep the cops from tricking them. Now, stop for a second. These guys MURDERED, in cold blood, a 14-year-old. Like, shot him in the head sort of experience. And yet! It’s just unbelievable to me. Reminds me of Bonnie & Clyde. And yet, Bonnie & Clyde seems more justified. But who knows. Then, report Udo Röbel helped get the criminals to a rest stop off the autobahn and then went with them for a number of miles.
The Fatal Conclusion of Gladbeck
However, at 1:40 pm, on the A3, near Bad Honnef, a police car ran into the getaway car. The crash caused the car to become immobile. After which, a firefight began between the abductors and the police. A hostage was able to flee the car. Silke Bischoffe though, the young blonde woman in the back seat that spent an eternity with a gun to her throat? She was shot in the heart, and the police have maintained that she was shot by Hans. And after that, the abductors were arrested. Personally? I would have accidentally shot all three of them. But, why didn’t the police use the remote for stopping the car? Yeah, they forgot to take it with them. (Amazing.)
Where Are They Now? Gladbeck Hostage Crisis
After the resolution of the Gladbeck hostage crisis, all hell broke loose. The media was pilloried for the ways in which they both assisted the robbers, and enabled them as well, in their search for fame and notoriety. Legislation was passed that kept the media from interviewing robbers, or hostage takers, during an active incident. It is now illegal to circumvent the police during situations like these. It became illegal for anyone independent of the police, to attempt to intermediate, or negotiate without police involvement. Also, the police’s actions – or more importantly, their inaction – was investigated. The area’s senator apparently resigned after the hostage crisis having taking the heat for the chaos. After the dust settled, three people lost their lives during this incident. A police officer was killed in a car crash. Emanuele De Giorgi was shot by Degowski after trying to protect his sister. And finally, eighteen year-old Silke Bischoff, who was most probably killed by Hans.
It is really obvious that the police monumentally screwed up this entire affair. There were numerous opportunities for the police to interject and take all three robbers out from the earliest moments.
Where are the kidnappers now? Rosner and Degowski were given life sentences. Marion Löblich was given nine years. Löblich? He was released from prison after only six years (?!?) because of his good behavior. I’m sorry, but that’s just unbelievable to me. Sure, he didn’t kill anyone, but come on! Currently, Dieter Degowski (who killed the 14-year-old), was released after thirty years, has changed his name, and is living in a new area.
But what about Hans? Hans-Jürgen Rosner still remains in prison under preventative detention. Hans had gone so far as to say he wouldn’t apologize to the families they had impacted… saying that the reason that he didn’t apologize was because he didn’t think it would be enough. “I keep my feelings towards the victims and their families to myself because there is no point in revealing it. It goes without saying that I deeply regret the act. After all, people lost their lives in the process.” But Hans has said over and over that he was not the one who killed Silke. He has stated that it was the police that killed her. He currently is still in custody but lives in a group homes and hopes to be released some day.
Gladbeck the Hostage Crisis is the Greatest Documentary of all TIME
Regardless, Gladbeck the Hostage Crisis is the Greatest Documentary of all TIME. 100%. Why? Because it isn’t a documentary at all. It’s raw history. The only way to do this movie better? Is to make it real time. 52 hours of events unfolding as we watch someone read the newspaper, or change the channel as it “happens”, woaahhh. That would be cool. Regardless, this was a glorious experience. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Edited by: CY
