PRESS | Home | Press | Showings | FAQ | Gallery | Order | Email |

Siskel & Ebert Tape date: 9/17/97 Air date: 9/20/97 "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" Review Show #1203 GENE SISKEL: The Unites States Congress investigates the debacle that four years ago killed 76 men, women, and children who belonged to the Branch Davidian religious sect based in Waco, Texas in a new documentary called "Waco," which clearly attempts to establish that he agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms lied to Congress and the American people, and needlessly harassed and ultimately murdered religious worshippers. To start with, the FBI claims that they fired no shots at the Branch Davidians. But the documentary has hired experts who argue otherwise, based on looking at surveillance tapes. GENE: The documentary also argues that the FBI acted out of a macho, don't-trifle-with-us posture toward the Branch Davidians after, to be sure, a two-month standoff. GENE: Singled out for scorn is the then-new Attorney General of the United States, Janet Reno who, the film argues, let the FBI run wild, and crucially walked away from responsibility by choosing to give a speech in nearby Baltimore rather than stay in her office and supervise the FBI's invasion of the Davidian compound. GENE: "Waco: The Rules of Engagement"--that's the full title of this documentary--it's fascinating in the way it argues that the FBI acted irresponsibly. Would the documentary be stronger if the FBI had been allowed to argue its own case? Yes, definitely yes. But this is clearly an advocacy piece of filmmaking, and it certainly raised plenty of questions in my mind about how our government handled the Waco tragedy. Thumbs up from me. ROGER EBERT: Thumbs way up for me, too. And you know, although it does have a particular point of view, it tries to be fair. It does show information from both sides, but the defenders of the government positions are inarticulate, they are clearly I think not saying everything that they're thinking or that they know, and they're hewing to a party line. You can look in the eyes of the people in this film and tell who you feel is telling the truth and who isn't. And what it amounts to here is that the American people were sold a bill of goods about the Branch Davidians that wasn't necessarily true, that these people were demonized... GENE: Yes. ROGER: ...in a way that wasn't accurate. And then "boys with toys," Gene. GENE: Yeah, I know. ROGER: ...all those guys who never got a chance to drive a tank before, and who were excited and ready to go. Like that guy who says, "I'm honed to kill, I'm honed to kill." They just couldn't wait to start shooting. GENE: Well, that's why this is an important documentary in addition to just the case that it deals with. Two things: one, the macho element. Hey, if you're on point for two months, you're going to want to shoot something if you haven't been able to! That's telling us something. And the other one, and I think this is the most interesting one, is how we learn from the media. The fault, ultimately--and I'll pick myself, okay?--is that I wasn't as plugged in to this story as I should have been, because I'm getting sometimes a headline service... ROGER: But of course, at the time there was no information available about the other side! And now, when you see this film, what's interesting is if you're looking for people who are unbalanced zealots... GENE: Right. ROGER: ...you don't find them among the Branch Davidians, you find them among the FBI and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; those are the people in this movie who deserve to be feared, I think. GENE: Well, but what I'm saying is that when we do these religious cult stories, when the media does these stories, then they better do a little bit harder reporting. I think that's one of the things you take out. ROGER: Yeah, well, they should stay away from the trigger words like "cult" and "compound." How about calling it a "religious group and their church?" That would have changed the entire perception of what went on. GENE: Because to me the stunner is who was in that compound. Weren't those... ROGER: Sensible... GENE: Seemed like it. ROGER: ...sincere people who were not under the hypnotic leadership... GENE: This is not Jim Jones, and the film makes the Guyana story, repeatedly makes that comment. THE CRITICS' JOINT COMMENT FROM THE SUMMARY PORTION OF THE PROGRAM GENE: Two thumbs up for the shocking documentary "Waco: The Rules of Engagement," a special motion picture. ADDITIONAL, INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS GENE: So we do have some young filmmakers here, but the real discovery is "Waco." ROGER: This movie is moving around the country. They are sometimes having discussions after it. I think that anyone who thinks they know what happened at Waco has another thing coming. © 1997 Siskel & Ebert

 


LinkExchange Member



Copyright ©1996-98, Fifth Estate Productions. All Rights Reserved.