Many people have perceived Fassbinder as merely a social commentator, "The Third Generation" proves he's an artist.

[A] hectic, funny, prismatically intricate political thriller ...

Episodic, aurally and visually cluttered, and calculated to irritate, but like most Fassbinder films, worth a second look.

In Fassbinder’s conception of West Germany following its chaotic autumn, terror takes on the tenor of performance art.