IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.6K
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.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Dan Gifford
- Narrator
- (voice)
Joe Biden
- Self - U.S. Senate
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Sonny Bono
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Howard Coble
- Self - U.S. Congress
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
John Conyers
- Self - U.S. Congress
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Graeme Craddock
- Self (Branch Davidian)
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Dianne Feinstein
- Self - U.S. Congress
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Orrin Hatch
- Self - U.S. Senate
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Jim Jones
- Self - in Jonestown
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
David Koresh
- Self - Branch Davidian Leader
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Tom Lantos
- Self - U.S. Congress
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Janet Reno
- Self - U.S. Attorney General
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
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).
Review
Featured review
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.
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.
helpful•76
- revere-7
- May 24, 2009
Details
Box office
- 2 hours 16 minutes
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Top Gap
By what name was Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997) officially released in Canada in English?
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