Waco

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....

This miniseries was done very well, giving perspective from both sides. Based on 2 books written, one by a Branch Davidian and one by the main FBI negotiator. Because the official government report that was written, I had always thought it was a mass suicide at the end of the standoff. This miniseries sure points to the government's failure as the cause of most of the deaths. Very thought provoking indeed. There are many well-known actors in this series, which elevates the quality of the accounts. This also brings great insight into the aspects of people's personalities that get caught up in the cult mentality. When you are insulated from any information outside your bubble, you lose the ability to think critically.

An amazing drama with great performances all around. As the title of my review implies, the tragedy comes down to stubbornness on both sides of this conflict. While the Branch Davidians are depicted more sympathetically than I expected, including David Koresh, he is still shown as uncompromising on certain issues despite the cost to his people and his followers as unable to break with him when it is in their best interest. And he is matched by those in charge of the ATF and FBI forces, who are smarting from the initial failed attempt to arrest Koresh and perhaps seeking revenge for the ATF men who died. Gary Noesner is the FBI negotiator who is trying to find a way to save lives. Even if you followed this story as it unfolded in the news, you will learn some things. And yet this dramatization does not neatly tie up all the loose ends and answer all the questions, leaving the viewer with much to ponder.

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.

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