Now Showing: Ruby Ridge

 

Ruby Ridge

Genre: Drama/Biography/Suspense

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Writers: Lon Charles & Dwight Gallo

Cast: Eric Bana, Hilary Swank, Julia Butters, Walker Scobell, Gabriella Sengos, Matt Jones, Marc Menchaca, Don Johnson, Jeremy Davies, Ki Hong Lee, Kevin Nash, Leon Rippy, Michael Mosley, Joel McHale

Plot: A thunderstorm moves across the Iowa farmland. Lightning flashes through the upstairs bedroom window of the Weaver farmhouse. Vicki (Hilary Swank) sits up in bed, wide-eyed. Randy (Eric Bana) wakes beside her, reaches for the lamp but doesn’t turn it on. She tells him the dream again - the same one she's had many times about war, collapse, and a family on a mountaintop, surviving it all. He listens without comment. Vicki gets out of bed, pulls a Bible from the dresser, and flips it open. Weeks later, they sell the house, load the truck with tools and rifles, and head west. Vicki rides in front with their youngest daughter Rachel (Gabriella Sengos) in the middle seat next to her, while Sammy (Walker Scobell) and Sara (Julia Butters) ride in back with the dog, Striker. Randy drives through the night, passing a carved wooden sign for Bonners Ferry before turning down gravel roads.

They park on a bluff high above Naples, Idaho, overlooking steep forested terrain they have purchased. Randy cuts a clearing near the ridge line and starts marking out a cabin. The kids carry scrap wood and old insulation from the trailer. Vicki unpacks mason jars and sets up the cookstove inside a canvas tent. Randy teaches Sara how to notch logs for a corner joint. Samuel digs fence holes. Rachel stays close to her mother, watching. They carry water in jugs from a nearby stream. When it gets cold, they build a rock stove and seal the cabin walls with mud and sawdust. The kids start their homeschooling lessons at the kitchen table. Sundays begin with scripture.

Later that year, during the first hard snow, a pregnant Vicki goes into labor. Sara and Sammy wait outside with a blanket and a pot of hot water. Randy holds the newborn, stunned and tender. Vicki names her Elisheba after a woman in scripture. Randy places the baby in her arms and sits beside her on the edge of the bed.

At the county courthouse, Randy argues a property line case against Terry Kinnison (Jeremy Davies) - a real estate speculator with ties to local timber companies. Kinnison insists Randy’s outbuilding is two feet over the line. The judge rules in Randy’s favor. Kinnison storms out before the clerk finishes typing. Within weeks, Kinnison begins sending typed letters to federal and state agencies, including the FBI and Secret Service. He claims Weaver made threats against elected officials and owns illegal weapons. He alleges connections to the Aryan Nations compound near Hayden Lake. Local sheriff’s deputies look into it but close the file without charges. The feds don’t follow up. But Weaver’s name gets entered into a few databases. One ATF agent, Herb Byerly (Marc Menchaca), circles it in red pen when it crosses his desk.

Randy walks through a gun show in Spokane, browsing long guns and antique ammo. Frank Kumnick (Michael Mosley), in an Aryan Nations jacket, calls him over. They’ve met before. Frank wants help mounting a scope. He pays in cash, hands him a flyer for a meeting in Hayden Lake. Randy takes the cash, not the flyer. At home, Vicki sees the extra cash and asks where it came from. Randy tells her he did a side job for Kumnick. She shakes her head. Sammy overhears  the name and asks if Frank has machine guns. Randy ignores the question. The next week, Randy trades two rifles for canned goods and diesel with another man Kumnick sent. It’s all legal. But word spreads about who Randy’s dealing with.

Herb Byerly steps into a diner to meet with Terry Kinnison, who is already waiting in a back booth - sipping black coffee and lighting a cigarette with shaking hands. He has a folder tucked under his arm and a bitter look behind his eyes. Kinnison explains that Weaver isn’t just antisocial - he’s dangerous. Byerly doesn’t press further. He thanks him and takes the folder. 

At a booth near the back of the same gun show, Randy meets behemoth of a man calling himself Rico (Kevin Nash). Rico asks if Randy can shorten the barrels on two shotguns for him to just under 18 inches. Randy says no. Rico asks again, flashing a roll of bills - double the going rate. Randy pauses. He measures carefully and cuts, leaving them just short of legal. Rico delivers the sawed-off shotguns to ATF Agent Herb Byerly the next day. He’s been an informant for two years. Byerly logs the guns into evidence and writes up the sale as a federal violation. The case file for Randy Weaver is formally opened.

Kumnick drives a dented pickup truck down a dirt road with Randy riding beside him. Between them, a cooler full of elk meat. Kumnick mentions a weekend rally at the Aryan Nations compound - barter, music, guest speakers. He suggests Randy bring his family. Randy makes it clear he is not interested in politics.

Two weeks later, Byerly drives north to speak with Randy face to face. On a dirt road outside Naples, Randy slows his truck to help a man parked with the hood up. The stranded motorist waves him over. Seconds later, two plainclothes agents rush in from the trees. They draw weapons, order Randy to the ground. Vicki steps out of the truck, hands raised. One agent handcuffs Randy while another explains the charges — illegal sale of firearms, pending federal indictment. The kids stay in the truck. Vicki demands to know where they’re taking him. No one answers. Randy is released on bail a few days later. In a Spokane office, ATF Agent Herb Byerly waits with coffee and a file folder. He tells Randy they can make the charges go away if he helps gather intel on Frank Kumnick and the Aryan Nations group. Randy stares at the folder without speaking. He says he’s not a snitch. Byerly’s tone shifts. He says they’ll pursue full charges - and adds a claim that Randy is a felon and possible bank robber. Randy makes it clear that none of those accusations are remotely true. Byerly shrugs, and tells Randy that would be up to a jury to decide.

In the cabin, Vicki opens a letter from the court — a notice of Randy’s appearance date: February 20. She pins it to the wall. But in Spokane, on February 19, a federal judge waits. Prosecutors and ATF officials are in place, expecting Randy to appear. That afternoon, the judge signs a bench warrant for failure to appear. The case is handed to the U.S. Marshals Service. Back on Caribou Ridge, Randy hauls firewood. He thinks he still has a day.

On the 20th, Vicki hands Randy a thermos and adjusts his coat as he steps outside with the intent to drive to Spokane for the hearing. Before he can reach the truck, Kevin Harris (Matt Jones) comes trudging up the trail from the woods, winded from the climb and visibly unsettled. He calls out to Randy, waving a folded sheet of paper in one hand — a printout of a bulletin someone posted at the local post office. Kevin explains that a bench warrant was issued yesterday, the 19th. Word around town is that federal marshals already consider Randy a fugitive. Randy stares at him in disbelief. He pulls the court letter from his pocket and shows Kevin the date: the 20th. They compare papers. Vicki comes out of the cabin and looks over their shoulders. Realizing the system has moved against them before he even had a chance to appear, Randy turns back toward the cabin. He doesn’t drive to Spokane. Kevin offers to help them watch the ridge in case someone comes. Randy begins reinforcing the cabin and setting up patrol routes through the trees.

The U.S. Marshals Service deploys surveillance teams into the woods around Caribou Ridge. Art Roderick (Joel McHale) leads the team. They dress in woodland camo, hike in under cover of night, and set up trail cams and observation posts. The agents refer to the family as “subjects,” logging movement in notebooks — what time Randy chops wood, when the kids do chores. Roderick writes that they’ve seen rifles slung, but never pointed. The Marshals recommend waiting for a chance to arrest him off the mountain. But D.C. wants quicker results. Back at the cabin, Vicki notices a glint in the trees while hanging laundry. She brings the children inside. Kevin spots boot prints that don’t match any of theirs. Randy loads a rifle and sets up a lookout post near the goat shed.

Inside the cabin, the pressure mounts. Vicki starts rationing canned food. Sara avoids the windows. Rachel clings to a doll. Kevin walks the perimeter twice a day with Striker, the dog. Randy spends nights awake, rifle across his lap. He talks to Kevin about the situation - how they were set up, how the system wants to crush people who say no. Kevin agrees, but says they’ll have to face it eventually. Randy says not on someone else’s terms. 

In a briefing room packed with Marshals and FBI tactical agents, a whiteboard maps out the Weaver property. On a large paper easel, the Rules of Engagement are listed. The final line is grim: “If any adult male is observed with a weapon, deadly force can and should be used.” Some in the room look uneasy. Others don’t blink. Among those listening is Lon Horiuchi (Ki Hong Lee), cold-eyed and quiet. The room treats the mission as if it is combat.

The Weavers eat dinner in silence around the table. Sara stares at her stew without touching it. Sammy watches the windows. Rachel rocks the baby. Sara finally asks if they’ll ever go back to Iowa. Randy doesn’t answer. Vicki looks to him, then back at her daughter. She says nothing either. Outside, Kevin checks the generator, glancing into the dark trees with his rifle slung low.

In the pre-dawn hours, the forest is quiet. Kevin and Sammy patrol near the edge of the property. Striker sniffs a trail and suddenly bolts downhill into the trees, barking. From behind a fallen log, Deputy Marshal Art Roderick and two others crouch. Striker charges toward their position, barking furiously. Without warning, Roderick fires and kills the dog. A beat of silence - then Sammy, not knowing who fired or why, returns fire. Bullets fly through the trees. Roderick fires back. One of the marshals emerges from cover firing - and is hit by Kevin Harris in the exchange. Moments later, Sammy is shot in the back as he retreats toward the cabin. He collapses. Kevin drags him behind a stump, but it’s too late. Randy reaches them seconds later and drops to his knees beside his son. There’s no question. Sammy is dead.

Kevin and Randy run back to the cabin as they see feds moving in closer. Inside, Sara pulls Rachel away from the window. The family is in shock. Vicki demands answers; Randy can barely explain what happened, only muttering that Sammy is gone. She covers her mouth, trembling. Kevin paces near the window with his rifle ready. Outside, the marshals retreat down the mountain. Inside the cabin, no one sleeps that night.

A tactical convoy rumbles out of Boise before dawn. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), including sniper Lon Horiuchi, arrives on site by helicopter. A mobile command center is set up in the woods below Caribou Ridge. The FBI is now officially in charge. Inside the command trailer, senior agents review aerial photos of the cabin. An officer reads the new Rules of Engagement aloud — any adult male seen with a weapon may be shot on sight. Horiuchi listens quietly, already prepping his rifle. Inside the cabin, the Weaver family sees more movement in the woods and hear the helicopters above.

Randy steps out of the cabin, unarmed, and begins walking toward the small outbuilding where Sammy’s body was laid. Vicki watches from the doorway, holding baby Elisheba in her arms. Kevin stands near the window, armed. Suddenly, a shot cracks through the trees - Randy is hit in the arm. A second shot follows instantly. It strikes Vicki in the head as she holds the infant. She collapses behind the doorframe, lifeless. Kevin pulls the screaming baby from beneath her body and slams the door shut. Inside the cabin is chaos. Sara is sobbing over her mother's body. Kevin tries to keep Rachel from seeing what has happened. When Randy makes it back to the cabin, he puts a blanket over Vicki's body, eyes welling with tears. Over the FBI radio channel, they demand to know who fired the second shot. Horiuchi confirms it was him - claiming he saw movement in the doorway. They inform him that he killed the mother.

The siege reaches the headlines. Photographs of the cabin and blurry footage of helicopters play across national news. Media vans gather at the bottom of the mountain. Spokespeople from the FBI issue vague statements. Inside the command post near the ridge, the FBI holds its position. Negotiators attempt contact through loudspeakers, but no one responds. 

A private plane lands on a rural airstrip. Bo Gritz (Don Johnson), former Green Beret and Vietnam War hero, steps onto the tarmac. He’s not sent by the FBI. He’s come on his own, believing someone should be representing the Weaver family on the outside. He meets with negotiators, then hikes the ridge under agreement of a ceasefire. Through a megaphone, he calls to Randy using old military code phrases. No answer. He tries again the next day. Finally, Randy responds faintly through the cabin window. Gritz gets closer, coaxing him into conversation. Slowly, Bo becomes the only bridge between the family and the outside world.

Bo Gritz visits the cabin multiple times over the next week. He brings food, painkillers, and messages. He tells Randy that Vicki’s body cannot stay inside forever. He encourages surrender, assures him there’s a path through this. Randy listens, but hesitates. He won’t leave Kevin behind. He wants to bury Vicki first. Bo agrees to arrange it, but the agencies push back. Gritz negotiates the burial with FBI brass, but tension remains high. Sara cares for baby Elisheba, Kevin keeps watch, Randy speaks little. They’ve stopped responding to FBI loudspeakers - only Bo Gritz is allowed near now. 

Bo Gritz stands at the cabin door, a canvas tarp folded in his arms. The agents finally agreed to allow Vicki’s body to be removed from the cabin. Randy opens the door slowly, his wounded arm still bandaged. Sara and Rachel help move their mother’s body onto the tarp. Together, Randy and Kevin carry her outside under the watch of agents with rifles trained on them from afar. The burial is quick and silent, the grave dug near the treeline. As dirt hits the tarp, Gritz quietly asks Randy if he’s ready to end this. Randy doesn't answer. 

After several more days, Kevin Harris agrees to surrender. He apologizes to Randy, telling him that he just isn't willing to die over this. Randy accepts this and thanks Kevin for sticking with his family this long. Gritz meets Kevin just outside the cabin with a first-aid kit and FBI personnel in tow. Kevin exits with his hands above his head. The agents disarm and cuff him, loading him onto a transport. Back in the cabin, Sara becomes more emotional - worried more for their safety now. Gritz asks to talk to Randy. Gritz makes it clear that there’s no more cover and the feds aren’t backing down. He adds that the public aren't backing down either and the feds will have Hell to pay after all is said and done. Randy agrees to leave. But he has one request: Sara and Rachel must walk out first, unharmed and unshackled, with baby Elisheba in hand. Gritz delivers the message.

Sara carries the baby, her sister beside her, both girls flanked by agents as they walk down the mountain road. Journalists photograph their descent from behind cordoned lines. The girls are bundled into a vehicle and driven away. Hours later, Randy Weaver appears at the same trail, flanked by Gritz on one side and a federal agent on the other. He’s wearing a denim jacket and holds no weapon. The press snaps photos as he’s quietly arrested without resistance. The standoff is over - 11 days after it began, three lives lost.

In a Boise courthouse, Randy Weaver sits beside defense attorney Gerry Spence (Leon Rippy). Kevin Harris is tried separately. Prosecutors charge Randy with a litany of offenses, including murder, conspiracy, and weapons violations. Spence dismantles the case piece by piece: how Randy was entrapped by the ATF, how his court date was miscommunicated, how federal agents shot first, and how Vicki was unarmed and holding a baby when she was killed. The jury acquits Randy on all major charges. He is convicted only for failing to appear in court and violating bail terms. Kevin is acquitted entirely.

Months later - after Randy is released from his short prison stint - Randy, Sara, Rachel, and the baby Elisheba return to Iowa. The lawsuits are still working their way through the courts, but the family has stepped back from public view. Randy grows angry when he reads in the newspaper that Horiuchi is not going to be charged for murdering Vicki. The federal government pays the Weavers a $3.1 million settlement for the deaths of Vicki and Sammy. Randy lifts Elisheba onto his hip as the family enters their small Iowa home.