IMDb RATING
7.8/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
A reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.A reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.A reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
Dan Gifford
- Narrator
- (voice)
Jim Cavanaugh
- Self - ATF
- (archive footage)
Dick DeGuerin
- Self - Attorney
- (archive footage)
Jeff Jamar
- Self - FBI Special Agent
- (archive footage)
Chuck Schumer
- Self - U.S. Representative
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on the same real life events as Waco Cult (2012), Revelations of Waco (2018), Waco: The Inside Story (1995), Truth and Lies: Waco (2018), Waco: Madman or Messiah (2018), Waco (2015), Waco: A New Revelation (2000), Waco: Clive Doyle (2018), Secrets of Waco (2017), The Secrets of Waco (2018), Waco, the Big Lie (1993), Waco (2015), Waco (2018), David Koresh (2007), Witness to Waco: Inside the Siege (2009) and In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco (1993).
Featured review
When Waco was Put on the Map
27 years ago Waco, Texas was put on the map in a notorious fashion. Until then I hadn't heard of Waco, Texas. But after a 51 day standoff between government agents and the Branch Davidians that ended catastrophically on April 19, 1993, Waco, Texas became as talked about as much as any place.
At that time, I only heard that David Koresh was some weird cult leader, like a Jim Jones, who was responsible for the death of all of his followers. This documentary dispels that notion and that narrative. You can still draw your own conclusions about the entire affair, but it's clear that there is something fishy about the FBI's version of the events.
If there were any negatives from this documentary they were the inordinate amount of time showing senate hearings on this case. The senate hearings were exactly what you'd expect from our government: a split down party lines on where to place blame. Since the president was a Democrat and he selected his administration, including U.S. Atty. General Janet Reno, the Democrats supported the actions by ATF and the FBI. And I'm sure you can guess that the Republicans disparaged the actions by the ATF and the FBI.
At the heart of it all was religion and guns: two constitutionally protected things that Reds and Blues argue bitterly about. "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" offered a lot of background information that I'd never heard before. Granted, in 1993 I didn't have my eyes and ears glued to current events, but I hadn't heard any contrary information than the common narrative at the time: the government did no wrong, David Koresh caused the mess. I don't know if I buy that version any longer.
There is a lot of evidence presented to disprove the official version of events. Was it a governmental conspiracy to take down David Koresh from the beginning? I don't think so, but there certainly wasn't any real restraint in going after him and there certainly was a concerted effort to hide many of the missteps by the government after it was all said and done. I think if you're already in the anti-government/pro-Koresh camp, this documentary may only be supporting your beliefs. For those like me who just want to know a little more, or those who are in the pro-government/anti-Koresh camp, this documentary just may open your eyes.
At that time, I only heard that David Koresh was some weird cult leader, like a Jim Jones, who was responsible for the death of all of his followers. This documentary dispels that notion and that narrative. You can still draw your own conclusions about the entire affair, but it's clear that there is something fishy about the FBI's version of the events.
If there were any negatives from this documentary they were the inordinate amount of time showing senate hearings on this case. The senate hearings were exactly what you'd expect from our government: a split down party lines on where to place blame. Since the president was a Democrat and he selected his administration, including U.S. Atty. General Janet Reno, the Democrats supported the actions by ATF and the FBI. And I'm sure you can guess that the Republicans disparaged the actions by the ATF and the FBI.
At the heart of it all was religion and guns: two constitutionally protected things that Reds and Blues argue bitterly about. "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" offered a lot of background information that I'd never heard before. Granted, in 1993 I didn't have my eyes and ears glued to current events, but I hadn't heard any contrary information than the common narrative at the time: the government did no wrong, David Koresh caused the mess. I don't know if I buy that version any longer.
There is a lot of evidence presented to disprove the official version of events. Was it a governmental conspiracy to take down David Koresh from the beginning? I don't think so, but there certainly wasn't any real restraint in going after him and there certainly was a concerted effort to hide many of the missteps by the government after it was all said and done. I think if you're already in the anti-government/pro-Koresh camp, this documentary may only be supporting your beliefs. For those like me who just want to know a little more, or those who are in the pro-government/anti-Koresh camp, this documentary just may open your eyes.
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- view_and_review
- Oct 23, 2020
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $142,193
- Gross worldwide
- $142,193
- Runtime2 hours 45 minutes
- Color
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By what name was Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997) officially released in Canada in English?
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