Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)

Director:

William Gazecki

Writers:

William Gazecki
Dan Gifford
(more)

Release Date:

19 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

This controversial documentary about the stand-off between an unorthodox Christian group - the Branch Davidians...

Plot Keywords:

Branch Davidian | ATF | FBI | Fire | Texas

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins

Cast

Dan Gifford	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clive Doyle	...	Himself - Branch Davidian (also archive footage)
Jack Harwell	...	Himself - Sheriff
Dick J. Reavis	...	Himself - Author (also archive footage)
James D. Tabor	...	Himself - Biblical Scholar
David Thibodeau	...	Himself - Branch Davidian
Joe Biden	...	Himself - U.S. Senate (archive footage) (uncredited)
Sonny Bono	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Howard Coble	...	Himself - U.S. Congress (archive footage) (uncredited)
John Conyers	...	Himself - U.S. Congress (archive footage) (uncredited)
Orrin G. Hatch	...	Himself - U.S. Senate (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jim Jones	...	Himself - in Jonestown (archive footage) (uncredited)
David Koresh	...	Himself - Branch Davidian Leader (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tom Lantos	...	Himself - U.S. Congress (archive footage) (uncredited)
Janet Reno	...	Herself - U.S. Attorney General (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bob Ricks	...	Himself (FBI spokesman) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Steven Schiff	...	Himself - U.S. Congress (archive footage) (uncredited)
David Troy	...	Himself (ATF) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
William Gazecki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
William Gazecki
Dan Gifford
Michael McNulty

Produced by
William Gazecki	....	producer
Dan Gifford	....	executive producer
Michael McNulty	....	producer
Amy Sommer	....	co-executive producer (as Amy Sommer Gifford)

Original Music by
David Hamilton

Cinematography by
William Gazecki
Rick Nyburg

Film Editing by
William Gazecki
Richard LaBrie
Rick Nyburg

Sound Department
William Gazecki	....	sound editor

Thanks
J. Neil Schulman	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Fifth Estate Productions
• SomFord Entertainment

Distributors

• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• New Yorker Films
• SomFord Entertainment

Runtime:

136 min | USA:165 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Waco, Texas, USA

Company:

Fifth Estate Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Men in Black II (2002)

The film someone had to make. Yes, it's biased - it's kind of hard not to be in light of the evidence.

The film someone had to make.

Waco: The Rules of Engagement dissects the evidence behind the standoff in Waco, Texas that led to the destruction of the Branch Davidian homestead and the alleged government cover-up.

The first thing you need to know about this film: you will see brief but disturbing photos of the victims bodies. This is not done for shock value, but to illustrate points about the way they died, as if you were present at the coroner's inquest.

The second thing you should know about this film: at two and a quarter hours, it's pretty ponderous - especially if you already followed the events closely at the time. If you are unaware of any of the events other than what was reported in the mass media, or if the only side of the story you are familiar with is the official government report, this may be essential viewing. If, on the other hand you want a more concise (albeit unapologetically one sided) version of events, you should see "Waco: The Big Lie".

In summary, this is pretty much the definitive documentary about this tragic event, and is very sobering, but as a work of film-making, could test your patience, especially if you have a short attention span. And it's at times superfluous for those who watched the CSPAN hearings and the 60 Minutes reports.

Perhaps someday someone will make a documentary that covers some of the stranger aspects of this story, such as the bizarre chain of events that led up to the ATF raid or the psychological warfare tactics the FBI used blasting rock music at the sect, and their charismatic leaders (all rock musicians themselves) picking up their instruments and turning their massive amplifiers outward to blast their own music right back at them.