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.

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.

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.

... 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".

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.

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.

So right away I agree with many that it took the pro FBI, ATF stance but atleast it did point out in the series the lead negotiators frustration with military, ATF, FBI using aggressive and unprovoked attacks on the Davidians that just created a lost of trust and progress in getting everyone out. I'm amazed how many reviewers on here focus so much on the cult and the brainwashing and almost suggest as if that part of the story justifies the ATFs actions. I personally believe if someone had come to the house in a calm professional manner and just knocked on the door this whole situation could have been prevented. There was no proof the cult was violent and would attack unprovoked. The fact that the Davidians allowed the agents a ceasefire to get their injured men off the grounds proves this theory. Also, as mentioned throwing people in jail, after excepting release, proves, they weren't being held in the compound against their will, but throwing them in jail, just gave justification not to give in and come out. I don't know the guy's name, but he was with either ATF or FBI and kept saying it was all about safety of the women and children. BS, after they rampaged the compound shooting through every wall in the building proved they didn't care about the kids or women. The worst interviewed in this video was the female reporter with the round glasses. She blatantly said that everybody in that house was responsible for killing the four ATF agents she gave zero criticism to anything the agencies did. So overall the documentary was well made but should have given the audience a balanced counter argument against the FBI/ATF interviews narratives. Maybe a researcher or ex law enforcement that pushed back on their claims. As many also pointed out this documentary did a poor job on the details leading up to the raid and sounds like there was zero communication with David Kershe before the raid. They had a man on the inside and gave almost zero details about his experience on the inside. Well made documentary but left out a lot of information and had a fairly pro government stance.

Waco it's definitely one of the biggest American tragedies, however it's not something I've really studied like the Holocaust. I remember the news footage at the time it happened and how there was so much debate about how the fire started. But they do now show aerial footage of three different fires starting all at the same time, which seems unlikely to have been done by the Davidians. For me this confirmed what I felt back then, that the FBI was trying to smoke them out and ended up burning over 80 people to death. This documentary or whatever you want to call it shows that the different branches of government who were trying to control or work this situation we're not communicating. I cried when I realized what truly happened that day. I think that the FBI wanted to make an example because they felt that Koresh was one of those crazy anti-government groups. I mean honestly they're trying to do that now through the media pretending that the only people who support Republicans nowadays are crazy anti-government people and that's just not true but that's another story I guess. The thing that strikes me the most is that the FBI seem to have convicted him for all these other things and use them to justify the things they did during the siege when really he hadn't been convicted of anything yet and has never been proven to this day. I feel so much compassion for the little girl who is now a grown woman and has no family. I hope that she finds peace.

A tragic abuse of power and the ultimate manipulation.

Did the police force make errors? Sure. Did they learn? Hopefully.

To hear the survivors still carry on like they are victims was frustrating beyond words.

Religious beliefs do not exonerate anyone from the law!!

Having sex with minors, creating illegal ammunition and firing and killing police officers deserves prosecution no matter of your beliefs.

Truly appalling. These people need to have a long hard look at themselves. The police didn't kill their families they are accountable for that for not surrendering and they can wear that burden every single day for the rest of their lives.

"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.

For the most complete account on who was legally responsible for what happened at WACO please google the text of the 2000 Special Counsel Investigation as well as the civil case what was filed by Davidian survivors and relatives. In all cases Koresh and the Davidians were held responsible and government found not guilty of wrong doing. If you watch the mini-series the facts reached in these investigations are presented fairly but of course there will be those who choose to believe personal accounts and accusations of Davidians and their supporters which are presented uncritially, in spite of the fact that these have been refuted in every unbiased investigation and court case.

In the end Koresh and Davidians chose to fight the Government rather than submit to a lawful warrant. They bragged about their opposition, belief and willingness to murder and die. It is sobering to consider how many people still are willing to believe lies and consipiracies contrary to all evidence as demonstrated most recently by the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

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 am European and I did not follow at all these events, so I was not prejudiced. The hallmark of a good documentary is to provide supported information about real facts and this documentary does that, even if with the usual, biased Netflix-garbled editing.

What I gathered is that one of the many American cults (why do these things happen so often in the US?) was considered dangerous (and rightly so) because they had a huge amount of weapons and during a botched up operation organized by the federal government, 4 agents died and a siege ensued.

The documentary provides lots of videos and registered material from both parties and up until halfway it looked like the operation could have been successful. The biggest mistake was perhaps to arrest that female sect member who came out to be with her kid, which was clearly detrimental to convincing anybody inside to surrender.

The rest is history and they can pass the blame back and forward until the end of the world. I certainly didn't sympathize with the Davidians, in fact, I cannot understand how anybody can mistake a warmonger who had sex with underage girls for the "Second Coming", but the documentary was not about credulous individuals, therefore no answers are provided about that.

Very interesting and insightful. There have been many attempts to document this horrible ordeal yet this doc does manage to add another layer. As you watch the documentary, it's clear that the individuals involved believe that their own personal experience is the most relevant experience at the moment and they don't appear to be coached in anyway. I'm not sure that the documentary is leaning one way or the other. But I do remember this time in history and I feel that I've gained some insight that I didn't have before. I've always felt that the feds went out of their way to instigate and cause this horrible tragedy. Did David Karesh orchestrate his own vision or did he truly have the vision that came to life? I think that is debatable. Even in the Bible some of the most notable names had at one time been criminals. My opinion is that we will never really know who David was or what he believed. There are many people who are gifted with some sort of ability to motivate people and to hear the FBI talk about him is to believe that he was a lunatic and a violent pedophile. But regardless of what he was or was not I can only feel that this was a tragedy evoked by our own government. There are times that the people we trust with our safety are so inept that they wouldn't even pass a high school exam. And unfortunately that is not limited to state government. I'm sad for the families of everyone involved. Watching this we have to admit that Koresh was an intelligent human being who just wanted to be taken seriously and to have a negotiation that he could put his faith in and neither of those things took place. Imagine manipulating a mother to coming out to see her child and then letting her spend an hour or two only to never see him again. To go to an even sadder conclusion, other countries see this kind of violence on a routine basis and I'm still glad to be living in what is still the safest country on earth. I was actually the first review but have yet to figure out which part of my review was declined the first 2 times. Took out a lot and trying again.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In 1993, cult leader David Koresh and his followers took over a compound in Waco, Texas. Upon learning of his apparent stock piling of weapons, the authorities became involved, and a battle of wits ensued between the ATF agents assigned to lead a tactical assault to take out the fanatics, and the hostage negotiators, who had their own methods of doing things. It all culminated in a terrifying human tragedy, with mass loss of life and ensuing reverberations of blame and what lessons could be learned.

I was only vaguely aware of a major incident regarding something called Waco, but had little background knowledge on it, given my age at the time it happened, so this Netflix documentary provided some interesting background information on the incident, if nothing else. It opens right in the heart of the drama occurring, with little in the way of any development of events leading up or any in depth examination of the key players in the incident, which robs it of any wider impact, but that's not to say what is on display doesn't make for riveting viewing.

Blending the shocking past events with modern day footage of the key participants, the documentary employs an effective camera technique, using a split screen to convey both of these things, which gives events of thirty years ago a more dramatic urgency in the present times. Many of the interviewees, speaking as either those involved with Karesh or those tasked with bringing him down, all feel deeply reflective about their involvement and what they did on either side of the fence, with age and wisdom on their side, but what is undeniable is the terrible human toll it all ended up taking, and the devastating impact it left behind, that obviously still reverberates to this day.

In more modern times, and with greater awareness around cults and mental health, it's tempting to think the idea of anyone falling under a cult is just a thing of the past, but in many ways, the time of the internet can exacerbate the problem, and this documentary, while not perfect, still provides a chilling account of one such time that had far lasting effects. ***

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.

I don't understand all the drama around this non-event. A hoax if I've ever seen one. It's silly to think Alex Jones visits the site for something that didn't happen. They all got out alive! They knew this was coming. Secret tunnels have already been built. The few you see heading out at the end were clearly blocked from escaping after the building starting collapsing. The government was merely there to finish the demolition that the Davidians had already started. The only people that were killed were practice dummies. It was all just a practice session. It was obvious the interviewees were just actors. And what a story by Miss Jones! Boy, was she coached. You have only yourself to blame if you think the real God needs lots of guns and underage brides. You will be judged.