March 6, 1998 -- "WACO: The Rules of Engagement" debuted in the January 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Having won numerous festival awards and the International Documentary Association's 1997 Distinguished Achievement Award, this film is one of five nominated for an Oscar as Best Feature Documentary.

When you watch "WACO: The Rules of Engagement," you see and hear a lot of severe criticism of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). But this is not so much an anti-federal government documentary as it is a story about religious persecution. As this story unfolds, you become both angry and sad. It's a story that didn't have to happen. Two key questions loom throughout the film-Why did the ATF attack the Davidian compound near Waco, Texas on February 28, 1993, and later in the film, who fired first on April 19th, the FBI or the Davidians? There are no conclusive answers, but the viewer is left with concerns about the policies of federal law enforcement agencies.

Using incredible "inside" videotape footage of the Branch Davidians and high-tech Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) video as centerpieces of evidence, producers Dan Gifford and Amy Sommer-Gifford and director, William Gazecki, have made a classic investigative documentary. Gazecki's creative use and emphasis on sound is also very powerful. The film has its point of view, but it is overall a fair presentation of the events concerning the February-April, 1993, 51-day siege of the Davidian compound at Mt. Carmel. During this standoff 75 Davidians, their leader David Koresh, and four federal agents died. Adults who care about their First Amendment and religious rights should be interested in seeing this gripping, 135-minute, $1 million dollar documentary.

The producers present a stunning collection of sounds and images, organizing the material around the July-August, 1995 U.S. Congressional Joint Sub-Committee on Crime hearings. There is minimum narration by producer Dan Gifford. The film's story is told through the artful combination of the congressional hearings, audio tape recordings of the negotiations, TV news footage, candid Davidian home movies, interviews, animated graphics of the compound buildings, and the ghastly inferno on April 19th, the conclusion of the siege and the film. Although the congressional testimonies of those supporting the FBI and ATF and those criticizing their "rules of engagement" become tiresome, the director-editor Gazecki dramatically builds the story to its climactic conclusion. You may not think you can watch it for two hours plus, but you will.

The most astounding footage of the documentary was actually made possible and provided by the federal agents. First, the FBI gave a camcorder to the Davidians to record themselves. The FBI hoped to learn more about this obscure religious group, perhaps aiding them in negotiations. These videotapes were not made available to the media during or after the siege. (One wonders how they even got the tapes out of the compound and how they survived the fire.) Whatever the FBI's purposes, the on-camera statements by the various and numerous Davidians gives the viewer a "ringside" seat inside an incident you normally would never see and hear. They are classic "actualities" of a documentary, obtained, ironically, by the FBI. The combined Davidian statements give one an impression of calmness, normalcy, and religious conviction. Their international make-up, education levels, and age demographics are quite varied. They don't seem bent on mass suicide at the instruction of their leader. This doesn't appear to be like Jim Jones and his addicted followers.

Second, the federal agents shot heat sensitive video from an overhead airplane. This video is the most damaging evidence against the FBI's claim that they didn't "fire a single shot." This FLIR imagery is familiar to many Americans, who saw such footage in reports released by the military during the Gulf War. Heat seen from such objects as fires or gunshots is seen as white. Cooler objects appear in darker shades of gray to black. This vivid footage is shown, then repeated in slow motion, and in closer perspectives with circled effects, while being analyzed by an expert in infrared imagery and night vision technology. The producers use a second source, Infraspection Institute, which makes similar conclusions about what is being seen--gunfire outside and towards the buildings. The credibility of the FBI is clearly questioned.

The question of whether the Davidians are religious fanatics is given perspective during the early part of the film. Author Dick Reavis, who wrote "The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation" testifies before the congressional committee and comments through interviews about the Davidians origins, organization, and basic beliefs. We learn here how David Koresh becomes its leader, his emphasis on the literal readings of the Bible, and his focus on the seven seals and eventual Armageddon. Koresh seems more a compelling teacher and less a charismatic personality. Other religious experts conclude that Koresh is "not a sociopath." Yet, on-camera statements by Koresh about his "attractiveness" by female members is damaging evidence that fuels the concerns of the ATF and FBI. Were there sexual irregularities? Was Koresh having non-consensual sex with young underage girls? These images, appropriate or not, do not endear him to the general public. Koresh is seen as the openly "sinful messiah," who needs to attain a religious goal of begetting 24 children. He apparently was actively pursuing that goal during his leadership. But one item becomes clear, statutory rape is the business of the county sheriff, not the ATF.

Were the Davidians gathering and storing large numbers of weapons? If so, why? Were they going to attack their neighbors? These questions seem to consume and explain the ATF's initial and paranoia-driven raid on the compound. The deaths of four ATF agents during the initial raid seems to "bond" the federal agencies to bring the Davidians to justice. The undercurrents of revenge by the FBI begin to be felt. The military images-armored tanks, uniformed officers with full battle gear, and machine guns take over. A battle is about to occur. Testifying before the congressional committee, the FBI agents don't appear to be demons, men bent on revenge, death, and destruction. They seem confident in their rationale of obtaining justice for the fallen ATF agents. They don't buy the Davidian's actions. As one agent states, "you don't have the right to kill someone, go to my house, use my children as shields and I'm not coming out until God tells me to. That is wrong."

The finale is set. CS powder combined with a dangerous chemical mixture is projected into the buildings. Tanks with long shafted nozzles break gaping holes into the roofs and window areas. Experts analyze the effects of the "gas." Would the gas cause death or tortuous pain? The possibility of a fire, particularly a fast spreading fireball, is questioned. Did the federal agents know a fire could start with the CS chemical gas? Was the compound a tinderbox? The pace of the film quickens. The music becomes more dramatic. Finally, the fire begins. Then the aftermath is shown. The gruesome, burned bodies are seen. The TV news reporters begin their coverage.

This is not a right-wing extremist, quasi-militia film. The FBI leaders look and sound like normal law enforcement personnel. The Davidians and Koresh look and sound like deeply religious people. But 80 individuals died because they disagreed. Were the "rules of engagement" appropriate?

For more information on this film, click here for the official home page of Waco: The Rules of Engagement. The VHS video version of this film is available for purchase directly from the distributor over the internet at the Waco: The Rules of Engagement order page, or from Movie.Reel.Com for $25. If you would like this video to be available at your local video store, click here.

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Mike McElreath can be reached via e-mail as MikeM@uwyo.edu