O Cerco de Waco

... are the last words of this documentary. And I just wanted to honour that excellent statement by making it the title of my review.

Like many people, I of course had once heard of "Texas Waco". But when I now think of it, I have to admit that I actually never knew or understood what it really stood for. Yes, I had an idea that it had to do with some kind of cult where many people lost there lives. But, it was this documentary that made me aware for the first time of what actually happened there.

I think it is worth to mention that - after seeing this documentary - that I am amazed that Netflix even produced this documentary. This since it appears to be a really black page in the history of the USA.

The most impressive is to see that the team behind the documentary was able to get many important people included in the documentary. And this from all sides: ATF, FBI, media, and even more impressive, the "Davidian" people that were present in the location. So you will be able to hear the experiences from snipers, negotiators, "cult"-members, politicians, journalists ... and even one of the first ATF agents that entered the building, got shot and was brought to hospital.

This allows the viewer to at least create a "fair" opinion of whom was involved and responsible for the so-called "Waco Massacre". And mind you, even people of the FBI itself were critical of how the situation was handled with.

The documentary impressed me in such a way, that it even made me check on the internet on how the government commemorates the events that happened on that location. And it amazed me that - on a spot where over 80 people died - only one small memorial was placed: i.e. For the 4 ATF agents that died... The other 80 people that lost their lives - including 20 innocent children - seem to go lost. It in some kind of way is a continuation of denial of the ugly events that happened at the site.

And that is why I think this documentary is so important to watch. Because the government clearly doesn't come out unscathed. And the viewer is even reminded of that by showing some direct events that happened a few years later (not mentioning them to prevent spoiling it).

Concluding, I want to mention that I will not give a rating. Just out of respect of the many lives lost. Giving any rating - either high or low - will not do justice to how ugly the events are that you will learn of. I mean, how can I rate something either positive when I see so-called "hero-shots" of ATF and FBI agents poaching with their guns in front of tanks that were used in events where many people got killed. And how can I rate something negative when you see the way that many people involved - from either side - cry tears about the events that occured. And mind you, that's tears from the most hardened FBI agents... I can only say that this documentary deserves an Academy Award for how honest it is in displaying these ugly events.

As a final remark of my review, I want to say that I will not easily forget the words of an FBI person:

"I don't know what hell looks like..." (long silence) "... maybe that".

Cult leader, David Koresh refused to vacate his property when The Authorities learned that hus commune contained a huge armoury. When The FBI decide they want to enter the property, a 51 day, bloody siege begins.

It's a thought provoking documentary, it really does move the dial of your opinion from one way to the other, early on I considered that The Authorities tried to sort the situation whilst considering the people and CHILDREN involved, by the end, I can't say I thought that was the case.

Very well made, with some fascinating first hand insight, everyone truly did bring something to the table, so often documentaries present us with an echo chamber of opinions, here we get several contrasting and conflicting views.

Some fascinating footage, considering it dated back to 1993, that was some clear camera work, again though you have to question who's holding the camera.

The third episode, personally I found it sickening, I condemn the behaviours and actions of Koresh, but that building had children inside, the assault that followed was disgraceful. I wonder if this particular cased is used in training, what happens when things are badly planned, badly handled, and brawn takes over from brains.

8/10.

Pretty much definitive proof that the fbi, atf & cia are as sociopathic & insane as David Koresh. Fact 1: Who would order an attack after the element of surprise cover was blown hours before. That's like phoning Hitler & saying we're going to attack your left flank in 2 hours so get ready. What Einstein came up with this idea? Fact 2: Sending home the hostage negotiator while it was still working effectively. Beyond stupid. Command Einstein play 2. Fact 3 Running over the trapped civilian vehicles with tanks. Always a solid plan to antagonize & further inflame the situation. It's like the mind of a 10 year old. "I'm going to punch you out at the monkey bars at recess". Fact 4: Arresting anyone that exits the compound & sending them directly to jail, thus eliminating the chances of anyone else exiting the compound. The list of mistakes made goes on & on. Did none of the government agencies receive any training? Like I wrote earlier...sociopathic, insanity & lets add wildly incompetent. Unbelievable! Be alert April 19th as it now seems to be a flashpoint of the dissatisfied.

Waco happened at a time of my life when I was becoming aware of the wider world outside of my experience. It's not something that I have particularly obsessed about - it's just something that happened in the media and I remember. This documentary claims that it has never before seen footage and interviews - but one is left with the feeling that all of this information was already known. In 1993, a religious group with apocalyptic views and a large stockpile of illegal weapons was raided by the ATF and the FBI. The initial raid went poorly because the members of the cult were tipped off by a local reporter. Four federal agents were killed. A siege ensued at the end of which the compound burnt down and 80 people were killed. A narrative has developed overtime, among far Right groups in the United States that this is an example of a government overstepping its rights and massacring its people. The details of what happened are controversial because the two main groups in the conflict are a religious cult and a massive Federal bureaucracy with its own conflicting groups, aims and goals. Here is what can be determined by the outside observer. The Branch Dravidians did violate firearm rules and regulations that were in place at that time. If you are pro guns and say that the American government overstepped its bounds - just know that the next raid probably would have been connected to the fact that David Koresh was a pedophile. The American government did have a good reason to start the raid. But it cannot be understated how poorly they handled the situation. It's a special sort of hubris in the American psyche that repeatedly leads to situations like this. Waco is a good example - but so is the invasion of Iraq. We have confident people being blinded by their own competence. There's a great line from one of the interviewees who was on the negotiating team. He said the paradox of power is that when you use power you don't often get the result that you want, you are met with resistance. And it seems like the negotiating team was doing a good job of getting people out of the situation before more aggressive methods were used. But the people who died at Waco, at least the adults who were in that situation, we're not martyrs. It is controversial whether the fire that ultimately burned the compound down was started by the federal agents or was started by the members of the cult. But what is not controversial is the fact that when the fire started, the members of the cult did nothing to get the children out of that building. So in my opinion, that's murder. You could make the argument that they were afraid to go outside because they would be shot by the federal agents - the federal agents had been encouraging everyone all morning to come outside and surrender. And multiple people had left the compound before then and were not massacred. And even if there was a chance, a slight chance, that you could save your children, you should have taken that chance. Why didn't that happen? Because most of those children were the children of David Koresh - the cult's leader. And some of his brides were 11 or 12 years old. Even this documentary ends with a dedication for those who died in those who remained. Which means you dedicating your documentary to David Koresh? Just because the government screwed up doesn't mean that David Koresh wasn't a screw-up.

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.