I don’t think that there is anyone born in America who has
not heard of the infamous feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys; the iconic
clan which had been fighting since the Civil War and well beyond into the last
years of the 19th century. But, what most folks don’t know about;
including me; is the history of the feud; that is, what started it all in the
first place?
In this film; starring Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield;
and Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy; will explain it all. In a three part series
that is part truth and part drama, the cause is fixed at that point in the
Civil War when Anse Hatfield decides to quit the battlefield and return home to
the West Virginia border near Kentucky. He just can’t see the sense in fighting
any longer. Little did he realize at the time that this decision would affect
him, and his family, for decades to come.
The action begins on the battlefield when Anse leaves,
infuriating Randall, who maintains that they have sworn an oath to fight to the
death for the cause which is dying all around them. Anse wishes him luck, and
at the point of a pistol, gallops off for home under the cover of night. When
the war finally ends Randall comes home and rebuffs the entreaties of Anse, who
has been making money selling timber. A simple encounter in the local bar between
ignites the simmering feud, when two members of one clan murder the member of
the other family over a slight stemming from that encounter.
Judge Valentine 'Wall' Hatfield, played by Powers Boothe, is
the law in the hill country, and the feud between the two families begins to
draw him into a confrontation which he knows will bring nothing but more
heartbreak to an area which has suffered greatly during the War Between the
States. The West Virginia border with Kentucky was a hotbed of disagreement
over which side to support in the war, and of course, is why the Western part
of Virginia broke away from Virginia when she seceded from the Union. A
secessionist state within a secessionist state is never an easy place to live.
Thrown in with the history and fighting between the two
families are the two young lovers, Johnse Hatfield, played by Matt Barr; and
Roseanna McCoy, played with extra sweetness by Lindsay Pulsipher. Just as in
Romeo and Juliet, these two youngsters are in love with one another and want to
be married, against all the wishes of their respective families.
Tersely written and keenly directed, this film delivers on
several fronts, including set design and costumes. Everything is in perfect
order, with the characters all cast in a believable fashion. At times it can be a bit confusing sorting
out who is fighting whom, and for what, but overall that only adds to the
insanity of a blood feud in the first place. And, for those who find this type
of film unbelievable, just pick up the newspaper sometime and read about some
of the “honor killings” which still go on today. It will make you scratch your
head in bewilderment at how such things can still be in the 21st
century.
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