Waco American Apocalypse review: Three-part documentary is timed for 30th anniversary and offers nothing new

3/5

Story: 30 years ago, a raid on a Branch Davidian compound in Texas to seize illegally stock-piled arms goes horribly wrong, when cult members are tipped off about it. What ensues is a bloody gun battle and a 51-day stand-off between cult leader David Koresh and members of his ‘church’ and the FBI, that ended in a massive inferno, killing 82 people, who’d remained on the compound.

Review: Cults and the extends to which members are indoctrinated never ceases to amaze. That human beings will forego relationships, luxuries, liberties and so much more, often, for a supposedly spiritual journey, may seem difficult to fathom, and yet, every now and then one hears of such extreme religious fanaticism. Netflix’s latest documentary, Waco: American Apocalypse, tracks one such cult from the standpoint of one particular incident – a stand-off between leader David Koresh and law enforcement agencies. Coming out days ahead of the 30-year anniversary of the siege, the three-part documentary details what went on at the Mt Carmel compound in Waco, Texas, based on disclosures from former federal agents who were involved in hostage negotiation and rescue, tactical forces, local media that covered the clash and Mt Carmel survivors.

The documentary dives head-long into how an ATF raid on the compound went awry, as Branch Davidian members were alerted to it and were prepared to keep federal agents out at any cost. Although some agents thought it best to abort the mission, it went ahead nevertheless and had disastrous consequences, with as many as four federal agents losing their lives in the relentless gunfire. The Mt Carmel compound was headed by David Koresh, a self-proclaimed messiah, who was accused of running his wing of the church by separating married couples and claiming the women as his, having sex with underage children (according to Branch Davidian doctrines, one comes of age at 12, so some of his victims were assumed to be adults) and stock-piling heavy artillery.

The documentary does not shine light on the background of the Branch Davidian church, how Koresh came to be the leader or how he was able to ‘brain-wash’ his ‘flock’ into believing he was the ‘second coming’. Instead, it focuses on the events that unfolded after a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms strike team goes ahead with a raid on the compound. Four agents and five Davidians died in the gun battle, while Koresh sustained multiple gunshot wounds with no side claiming responsibility as to who opened fire first. After it was revealed that there were women and children in the building, ceasefire was called and negotiations began to get Koresh to let the young ones out. He relented briefly letting a few children out in exchange for his messages to be broadcast to the world.

When it is eventually decided to literally ‘bomb’ the compound with tear gas and drive the ‘hostages’ out, a fire breaks out that engulfs the entire building in no time and sends every one to an apocalyptic fiery grave.

Over the years, the Waco incident has been dissected by several parties and while no blame has been officially assigned, there is no denying that there were mistakes in the handling of it right from the start. For instance, The ATF strike team was told that the compound had been tipped off about the proposed raid, and yet, they were sent in to carry out a search warrant nevertheless. FBI agents who took over negotiations did not consider seriously that Koresh and his group firmly believed in the apocalypse and would fight until their dying breath. The Netflix documentary also does not offer any new insight into what happened or how it should have gone down. There’s a brief mention that the Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh was an onlooker of the Waco siege and that it became one of the reasons for the mass murder of 168 people.

Verdict: Waco: American Apocalypse does nothing apart from remind us that it’s been 30 years since one of the darkest days in American law enforcement history and that the Branch Davidian ‘surviving victims’ are still awaiting the return of their messiah. If religious cults and the heights of indoctrination is a subject of interest, the documentary may be intriguing, given that Koresh not only had all the women to himself, but also convinced his followers that a fight to the death was the only outcome of the stand-off.