Waco: American Apocalypse

So many of these reviews are opinions of the events. Rate the quality of the film. I agree there will always be bias but if you reject the assumptions of the filmmakers - tell the reader why.. Dig a litter deeper with factual information. I enjoyed the doc for its access to source material - especially the interviews. The current era interviews, were to me what made this a good (and unique) documentary on what happened at Waco. Their stories now - so many years later - are enhanced by their aged perspectives and are compelling to hear. This was a tragedy on so many levels. My personal feelings about who are to blame are not compatible with the lens of the filmmaker. However, I appreciated this film and felt it was an important perspective worth viewing.

The 3-part documentary ultimately ends up being one more instance of religious extremism, juxtaposed with the failings of the FBI in handling such a situation. There are interviews with some of the survivors from the incident, but to listen to them (except one, who completely breaks down) justify it all in the name of religion makes me sick to my stomach. Is it so hard for those people to acknowledge that David Koresh was a monster? The law enforcement also messed up big time by conveying one thing over negotation-talks and the guys on the field doing the exact opposite. The eventual outcome? 80-something deaths. It'll always remain a dirty little stain in USA's history, especially for the state of Texas. For what it's worth, I'd have liked to know more about Koresh and his doings at the compound, which are only fleetingly mentioned.

Before watching something, I often like to see what "normal" movie/TV watchers on IMDb think, rather than just professional critics. However, for this one, I was glad I relied on TV critics, with the majority saying this was worth watching. I have been amazed to see all the negative reviews being written about this, with the primary criticism of these negative reviews being that the documentary was "too pro-government." I have no idea what these people wanted or expected, although it seems like they wanted an extreme anti-government slant, similar to the people who like to see "documentaries" about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton that are just bash-fests.

After watching this, but before reading the IMDb reviews, I thought this documentary was not even remotely pro-government. I even questioned how balanced it was, as it shows the government in a pretty negative light. So I think this comes down to the expectations of the watchers and their own biases on this topic.

The other criticism I've seen of this documentary is that it is more descriptive rather than providing in-depth analysis. I think the reason for this is that it leaves it to the viewer to decide what to think, rather than being told what to think.

I was someone who was aware of the Waco tragedy, but not overly familiar with it. Maybe that's why I liked it so much, and if anything, thought that it showed the government in an unfavorable light.

"Waco: American Apocalypse" (2023 release; 3 episodes ranging 44 to 51 minutes each) is the latest reassessment of the events that took place 30 years ago in Waco, TX, leading to 90 deaths. As Episode 1 opens, we are immediately in the thick of things as the ATP is trying to execute on a search warrant at the Mount Carmel compound, where a religious cult led by David Koresh is living. Things go wrong from the get-go, and there is an enormous shootout between dozens of ATP agents and the religious cult... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from director Tiller Russell ("Night Stalker"). What could've been a thorough review of these tragic events, instead are brought with a shocking lack of details and context. We literally are given very few details as to the religious cult itself, why ATP decided to get a search warrant, and how exactly things went wrong. What we do get are talking heads who were there: several survivors from the cult, ATP and FBI agents, local TV reporters, lawyers, etc. The lack of coordination and communication within the FBI (the negotiators vs. The Hostage Rescue Team) is shocking. Not that the Branch Davidian folks are much better. Or as one talking head puts it: "Everybody in this touched the ball and fumbled." There are no winners. Back to the lack of details: at the end of the day that April 19, 1993, the mini-series concludes just like that. Not a single word about the YEARS of subsequent legal cases, all the way up to the Supreme Court. Also no information as to what became of the survivors that participated in this documentary. Wow, just wow. This documentary should be titled "Waco: American Tragedy", both as to the events that happened there and as to this mini-series.

"Waco: American Apocalypse" recently premiered on Netflix, and I watched all 3 episodes in a single setting last night. The mini-series isn't completely horrible, but it should have been so much better than this. Of course don't take my word for it so check it out and draw your own conclusion.

I was only a child when the OK bombing happened, on my birthday of all days. I had heard of Waco before, but didn't know the whole story or that the two were related.

This was a really tragic event, started by one side that was asking for trouble, but both sides are to blame for the outcome. The real tragedy is the kids. Everyone else had plenty of time to make their decision to stay or leave, but the kids are the real victims.

What's crazy about this doc is comparing it to society today. Thinking about how many others out there have the ability to manipulate others so much, that many of them would rather die than to look at their life choices and lack of logic, and change.