In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco

1993
5.4| 1h38m| en| More Info
Released: 23 May 1993 Released
Producted By: Patchett Kaufman Entertainment
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Religious fanatics are barricaded in a building and surrounded by police. But they're not going to surrender; they prefer to die.

... View More
Stream Online

Stream with Prime Video

Director

Producted By

Patchett Kaufman Entertainment

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Interesteg What makes it different from others?
2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10
Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
Leofwine_draca AMBUSH IN WACO is one in a series of American made-for-TV movies chronicling American police cases and various crimes. The series title is IN THE LINE OF DUTY, and it's not to be confused with the excellent Hong Kong action series of the same name. AMBUSH IN WACO is a straightforward account of the infamous Waco, Texas siege in which ATF agents stormed a stronghold belonging to the Branch Davidian cult.The main problem with this film is that it was made contemporaneously with the true-life events, so much so that the whole story isn't even told (except in a written coda at the climax). However, it does build to a thrilling ending of sorts, the infamous and bungled siege that saw a number of ATF agents losing their lives as they attempted to storm the complex despite knowing the cult members inside were heavily armed.The film as a whole isn't bad, although it does feel a little slow with over an hour of set-up before any kind of meaningful action begins. The story is very biased in favour of the authorities which a number of reviewers seem to take issue with. Tim Daly gives a very good performance as the deranged cult leader David Koresh, and old-timer Clu Gulager has a small role as the sheriff. Best of the lot is a youthful Neal McDonough, packing in the intensity even at this early stage of his career.
jeniferrobin This slip-shod piece of government propaganda was rushed to production before the final fire killed over 75 men, women and children. Although the disclaimer at the beginning of the film claims it was thoroughly researched, the stereotypes in which the characters were portrayed were comical, if not tragic misrepresentations. Filled with downright lies, the writer of this garbage later apologized to the surviving members and the families of those lost for his role in perpetuating the horrible myths surrounding David Koresh and his followers. (See David Thibodeau's _A Place Called Waco_, page 207 and writer Phil Penningroth's own "Righting Waco: Confessions of a Hollywood Propagandist" available at http://www.killingthebuddha.com/dogma/righting_waco.htm) This piece does play a role in the history of the standoff, as a clear example of the dead wrong information surrounding the standoff and raid. Therefore, take it with a grain of salt.
JimHammond If you want to know the truth about what really happened in Waco, TX between February 28th, 1993 and April 19th, 1993, this IS NOT the film to see. The writers claimed at the movie's beginning that this film was a result of "extensive research" concerning what happened, yet there is hardly any truth in nearly every scene in this film. It not only is a villification of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians but also a portrayal of the AFT as "brave heroes" who risked their lives so as to protect society from these dangerous lunatics. It fails to mention the point that the only reason that the AFT made the raid in the first place was because they had budget hearings pending and they needed a good publicity coup for those hearings.The only error this film makes concerning the February 28th raid that is worth mentioning here is the fact that it omits the role of the helicopters in the raid. Anyone who has studied the facts of the raid knows that it was the helicopters who fired the first shots when they straffed the building. It was also one of the helicopters that, when making a straffing pass over the building, fired the shots the killed Peter Gent as he was climbing from out of the water tower. In this film, the Davidians (including some late-middle aged women) are shown to ambush the AFT as they approached the front door. It was too bad that millions of people formed their opinion concerning Koresh, his followers and the entire Waco incident from this piece of trash.If someone really wants to know the truth of both Koresh and his followers and the entire incident from beginning to end, the best references are the books "The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation" by Dick J. Reavis and "A Place Called Waco" by David Thibodeau. Also, the video "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" is a excellent piece of documentary film making.
Bosco 55th This was released just 3 months after the shootout shown in the film. To make a good movie you need time and research. I don't think they gave much of either on this movie except for the shootout. I like this movie because as you can see. It makes the loony anti-government people mad. Just look at a previous comment and see. If you hate the government, this movie isn't for you. It was made by a company that has done at least 10 films that tell the story of the brave law enforcement officers/agents who have given their lives.