Waco: American Apocalypse

I gave it a 9 becouse nothing is perfect,but this one is really good solid 3 chapters series by Netflix. And unlike there trash 3 chapters series on the mh370, who 90% of it is conspiracies nonsense, the Waco one is about facts. Facts from the media coverage, and all those who were involved in there from both sides. Very good series. Some reviews here gave it negative score becouse the series gave some interviews from the David cult survivors , who gave there " it was god will" prospective. So what? It is what it is and its important to hear there prospective about what happened , becouse they were involved. And you want to understand the mind control David had on this people and this is the way to understand that, to hear this survivors point of view and logic. All and all, 9 out of 10 very good well made series by Netflix.

I sometimes find myself wondering if other IMDB reviewers watch the same show I watched when reviewing, and this one is no exception. If this show is supposed to be Federal Government propaganda, then its makers did a terrible job, because they failed miserably. I don't know how you could watch this and think the ATF and FBI were anything other than chaotic, incompetent and gung-ho. For a start, going ahead with a raid to look for military-style assault weapons, in broad daylight no less, when you already know that you've lost the element of surprise? You don't even have to have a third grade education to know why that's a bad idea. The constant disconnect between the negotiators and the HRT leading to mixed signals. Arresting the Davidians who did come out. And they expected them to just The documentary makers also did absolutely the right thing in interviewing the Davidians who survived. You can get annoyed all you like about giving these zealots a platform, but I would ask what's more effective? Asking the audience to trust you when you tell them that the Davidians were so completely brainwashed that they allowed 13 year old girls to have sex with a man in his 30s because that man told them he was the second coming of Christ, and that they believed that 13 is when a girl comes of age? Or letting Kathy Schroeder - one of David Koresh's acolytes - say both of those things exactly, in her own twisted words? There's a reason the Waco siege is a case study in how not to handle a crisis, and using a combination of interviews of people with different viewpoints on both sides of the conflict, very crisp and realistic computer graphics, and some pretty intense footage, this documentary explains exactly why.

Making these letter groups out to be the good guys is just gross. They had every chance to resolve this scenario so many times without bloodshed but they wanted a big spectacle to validate their entities, and stormed in to murder women and children and do photo ops over the ashes. This and Ruby Ridge were prime examples of how horrific these letter groups are. This garbage is just propaganda to glorify them. There are plenty of other documentaries and dramatizations that at least offer a balanced view or acknowledge how this event was a giant chain of horrible mistakes the government has made. Don't waste your time with this.

If you like to hear both sides of a story, dont watch this one. Not going into much detail with this because its so frustrating. This bad review is not for production value, effects or anything like that - that was all great. However.. This is a story told by those at fault! They try to spin it in a way that points the finger at David Koresh. And though the man was clearly a monster, what went down in this docuseries was entirely the fault of the authorities. They severely and aggressively threatened the property, blindly opened fire, shooting through doors, windows and walls - not caring what was on the other side (women and children). They were then shocked and upset that the people inside tried to defend themselves. Negotiations going well and people coming out, they then decide to attack again, just without guns this time, resulting in the brutal deaths of a whole bunch of innocent people. All their fake tears towards the end acting as if what happened isnt entirely their own fault! So many innocent people, including kids died by the hands of the authorities and this docuseries doesnt even have the decency to pay any respect those victims and they just say mistakes were made. This is a three part series that tells the story of how the US government murdered a whole bunch of innocent people and blame it on someone else.

The problem with this documentary is that it doesn't go into the details at all. Its just a collection of first hand stories, but there was so much going on. Have yet to see a satisfactory doc or miniseries on this event. 1) why was Koresch able to have multiple and underage brides?? 2) how did he become.the leader? Its a dark story 3) what laws were the ATF pursuing. Gun laws were much less strict at that time 4) why didnt the ATF call it off after everyone said the element of surprise was critical 5) why were the hostage rescue team and the hostage negotiators kept separate 6) why was Gary N sent packing 7) what information did Janet Reno actually see 8) how much tear gas was used (it was incendiary) 9) who took the blame? You could have done a whole episode on any one of these questions, but instead the producers just rehash the common info anyone who paid any attention knows.

While the production itself was well done...the content was a brilliant exercise in "spinning!" The production crew appeared to go with whatever storyline the federal agencies were dishing. The producer's lack of appropriate follow-up and deeper research, is what prompted my low rating. In watching all three eps, I witnessed our US government (ATF, and especially the FBI) spinning and lying like it's nobody's business! Remember folks...this all started because a postal carrier "saw a hand grenade drop from a box." Why didn't we hear any of those grenades go off during the massive fire? Believe me, the producers had plenty of "finale" footage. If those ordinances were there...they would have exploded. Producers and journalists alike need to be asking the tougher questions....probing deeper!!!!