Ruby Ridge

Ruby Creek Ridge, Idaho, 1991. RANDY WEAVER, 41, a former green beret veteran who lives happily off-grid on an isolated mountain top cabin along with his pregnant wife VICKI, 40, and children SARA, 14, SAMMY, 13 and RACHEL, 11. They are also close with family friend KEVIN HARRIS, 24, who helps around the place. Vicki is religious and has raised the children in the fundementalist Christian faith while Randy has taught them all how to use firearms and live off the land. Separatist, Randy, who with mounting bills and a new baby on the way is in dire need of earning a living, meets GUS MAGISONO, 40s. Along with his associate, FRANK KUMNICK, 50s, the men discuss the need for action against what they view as a hostile government. Tempted by a financial windfall, Randy is persuaded to sell Gus sawed-off weapons, not knowing that Gus is really an undercover ATF informant. Unbeknownst to all of them, they are being surveilled by FBI team leader, RICHARD ROGERS, 50s and FBI agent, FRED LANCELY, 30s, who are worried about the recent rise in the formation of militia groups in the area and are working with the ATF to shut them down. When Gus' ruse is exposed, Frank and his associates drive Gus out of town. Gus' boss, ATF agent, HERB BYERLY, 40s, reveals the evidential truth to Randy and is certain he will be charged with arms and manufacturing weapons charges unless he agrees to go undercover himself and help them expose the far rights's nefarious activities, for this the ATF will offer him a way out of his troubles. Randy, angry at being lied to by the feds, refuses to ‘snitch’ and orders the agents off his property, a decision that will change the course of his life forever. In an ATF and FBI sting setup, Randy is arrested on weapons charges and released on an unsecured bond which means he has to promise to return for his court date on February 19th, otherwise he forfeits his land and property to the government. Randy receives a letter telling him the date has been pushed to March 20th but due to a clerical error the date is changed again and Randy doesn't receive the second letter. When he doesn't appear in court, the judge issues a bench warrant for his arrest. An indignant Randy refuses to turn himself in, believing that he is a victim of a set-up and a government conspiracy to frame him and his family agrees, believing also that the ‘tribulations’ period of their religion is about to start. Provided with information from Rogers, U.S. Marshals GENE GLENN, 40s, and ARTHUR RODERICK, 40s, are sent in to deal with the situation. Through the local townsfolk they learn that Randy has been stockpiling weapons and, wanting more information, they set up surveillance cameras in the nearby woods surrounding the cabin. Vicki has given birth to ELISHEBA and soon tensions with the Marshals begin to rise. Kevin discovers the surveillance cameras and this leads to an encounter in the woods between the U.S. Marshals and Randy, Sammy, and Kevin. All are armed and, when Roderick kills the Weavers' dog, things turn violent. In the ensuing gunfire, Sammy is shot twice and killed and Kevin kills a Marshal in self-defence. Randy and Kevin escape to the house and barricade themselves inside as Marshals surround the area, which starts a tense and explosive eleven-day standoff. The situation becomes hostile as U.S. MARSHALS and FBI agents swarm the region, antagonizing the nearby town, many of whom are sympathetic to the Weavers. This incident sets into motion two incompatible and unbending views of the world clashing on top of a remote mountain. Matters get escalated to FBI Team leader Richard Rogers, who assumes command and attempts to broker a resolution, he decides to change the rules of engagement and as the standoff continues, the FBI’s top sniper, LON HORUICHI, 30’s, tries to shoot Randy but the shot isn't fatal. In the subsequent chaos, Horuichi accidentally kills Vicki while Kevin is badly injured. Fred Lancely as hostage negotiator, arrives in a tank at the cabin and attempts to broker a peaceful solution in person, but having lost his wife and son, an outraged and angry Randy now refuses to trust the agents and stays firmly put in his mountain top cabin with his girls and Kevin. The media frenzy continues and has now grown nationally and internationally along with the growing and angry protests from the town folk, who are now gathered and based at the law enforcement and military base camp at the bottom of the Weavers main entrance. When other efforts to communicate with Randy fail, as a last resort, and much to their chagrin, the federal agents call in outlier BO GRITZ, 50s, like Randy a former Green Beret, a war hero and a U.S. presidential candidate. Rogers reads Bo the riot act, insisting he not deviate from their negotiation tactics. Bo soon ditches Roger’s advice, goes rogue and is able to win Randy's trust and get into the house along with a physician and they learn that Kevin is dying while Vicki is dead (Randy's own wounds seemed to have healed). Gritz convinces them to get help for Kevin and to surrender Vicki's body as forensic evidence will reveal she was killed by the FBI, but not before Randy movingly pleads his case and grievances to the FBI hostage team about what it means to be ‘free’ in America, which causes Lanceley to question the hostage rescue team tactics, but instead he gets a firm rebuke and dressing down from his boss, Rogers. Left with only Rachel and Sara (along with the baby), Randy comes to a sobering realisation of his own mistakes and finally agrees to surrender himself to ensure the safety and lives of his children and to fight their battle in court. He convinces Sara and Rachel that it’s the right thing to do, to trust in the system and to sue and win the case for Vicki and Sammy. Randy is arrested and taken away but Sara vows to fight the government in court over what happened. In a coda, it's revealed in subsequent government and civil trials that Randy and Kevin are acquitted of all murder charges in the death of the U.S. Marshal. Randy serves only a month for the gun charge, the family subsequently sues the U.S. government who not wanting a very public, lengthy and potentially damaging civil court case decide to pay out a $3.1 million settlement because of the many egregious errors the ATF , U.S. Marshalls and the FBI made which led to the unnecessary deaths of Sammy and Vicki Weaver.