Waco

I must admit, I knew very a little about this Waco incident before seeing this. This story really points to the ATF and FBI really being the bad guys well more bullies than bad guys. I dunno how much is true but it certainly seems that way based on this portrayal. I was hooked from the start, The acting is amazing and so it the screen play. There are 6 episodes all an hour each and the felt like 5 mins each. I would recommend this mini-series to anyone.

This one gave me a lot of insight into the story of what really happened. This is one of the saddest events in history. A lot of lessons can be learned here

This mini-series is quite intriguing.

At the very beginning, the scene of the BATF raid bears a very close resemblance to video and photos of the historical incident.

Taylor Kitsch does a very good job in portrayal of Koresh, based on videos of Koresh. Much of the first episode is very well filmed. The two books it is based on, by different men with different perspectives could well be worth reading. The book The Davidian Massacre, by Carol Moore is a good source of information.

As a nitpicker, I could pick on a few issues. While the BATF originally entrapped Randy Weaver in order to blackmail him to become an informant, it was the US Marshals that killed his son, lied to cover it up. The actor that portrays Randy Weaver does not resemble Randy Weaver. Weaver's talks with Col. Bo Gritz, and Officer Jack Mc Lamb went on for quite a while, and eventually did lead to his surrender, and his vindication in court.

This mini-series would also be improved if it provided more background of the Branch Davidian, possibly in flash-backs.

Telling this story in the form of a mini-series is interesting. Viewers can watch one episode, then research the story on their own, and discuss it with others, and then watch the next episode.

I would urge viewers to do that, rather than paying attention to the politically correct trolls. Good people of all political persuasions and religious beliefs agree that law enforcement officers should be required to follow the law, and never be given a free pass if they murder citizens.

Waco as a miniseries is competently made and filled with tension. The show follows the ATF/FBI standoff with the Branch Dividians that led to the deaths of the majority of the cult members and years of investigations and inquiries into the actions of the ATF. Taking its sources from two books, A Place Called Waco by David Thibodeau & Leon Whiteson and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator by Gary Noesner, the series gives us a holistic view at the event from both sides of the engagement. Gary Noesner is played very well by Michael Shannon and conveys his desperation to deescalate the tensions while fighting against both Koresh's ego and the HRT team's desire to use aggressive actions to bring about a decisive end. It's a really good performance and only serves to reinforce what a fantastic actor Shannon is. Taylor Kitsch is equally good as Branch Dividians leader David Koresh and brings out the charisma of the man and from the performance you can understand why his followers would be drawn to him.

Unfortunately there's a massive drawback to this series that keeps it from achieving greatness. The show deservedly calls out the overly aggressive tactics of the HRT team during the standoff as well as the oversight that gave them carte blanche to use these tactics, but the show is uncritical about not just David Koresh, but also Randy Weaver as Ruby Ridge is used as a sort of prologue leading up to the Waco standoff. Throughout the series we hear Weaver and Koresh use the phrase "we weren't bothering anyone, why couldn't you leave us alone?" and frames these men as victims despite knowledge of their actions that make them anything but. The show does address Koresh's ploygymany to both women and minors, but the show tries to excuse this by citing Texas las allowing 14 year olds to marry with parental consent. The way the show stumbles over itself trying to paint Weaver and Koresh as "victims" is not only disgusting, but damages the integrity of an otherwise well done series.

Despite the series inexcusably sympathetic approach to Koresh and Weaver, I do still recommend the miniseries as it features good acting and genuine tension. However I feel that before one sees it they should have knowledge and context of the events discussed.

Every actor in this is incredible. The resemblance of Koresh to Kitsch is uncanny, even the voice. This man has many movies in his future, his acting is superb and the screen loves him. This movie seems pretty accurate so far, and it really delves into the human side of every single person involved. It is almost if there are multiple protagonists - the children, Koresh, the FBI negotiator who clearly wanted to end this with no violence, and the lost souls whom we only slowly get to know. There are no dull moments. I am loving this series so far....