Dramatization of the bitter blood feud between the two families on the West Virginia/Kentucky border in the years after the Civil War.Dramatization of the bitter blood feud between the two families on the West Virginia/Kentucky border in the years after the Civil War.Dramatization of the bitter blood feud between the two families on the West Virginia/Kentucky border in the years after the Civil War.
- Won 5 Primetime Emmys
- 15 wins & 44 nominations total
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Ted Mann is a genius. Brought a bit of Deadwood to this piece and when the writing is great and the piece is filmed with such professionalism the results are going to be good. This is an amazing piece of history and all involved should be proud. I especially loved Costner, Mare Winningham, Tom Berringer and Jenna Malone, though I could name many more. What a story! I have to go back to Kevin Costner. I didn't understand a few of his lines, but here he is playing (and playing well) a generational historic character and doing it in a way that I did not think he had the capability of doing. He is wonderful as Devil Anse. It just goes to show you that if you give a talented pro great lines, they'll deliver. And he did, big time. This is tough, gritty and beautiful film making and if history means anything to you, I highly recommend Hatfields and McCoys.
10smartU2
Really well done mini-series. Acting is phenomenal by so many people. Look up "Hatfields and McCoys" on IMDb and there's a very long line of productions on this topic. Rightly so since it is such an incredible piece of history on so many levels. But, none of those productions comes anywhere near this mini-series with Kevin Costner totally in his element. Gorgeous country/nature, too. The plot follows the history well-enough. It's a dramatization not a documentary. If I were a McCoy, perhaps, I would be a bit upset because - honestly, for me - I sided with the Hatfields. Perhaps, that could be a criticism but bible thumping and righteousness gets me annoyed every time and Randall McCoy is heavy-handed with it. One of my favorite lines in the mini-series was when Devil Anse Hatfield said to the ever-righteous Randall McCoy: "....you're just a huckleberry above a persimmon..." Can't wait to use that quip. The writing and the authenticity of language was realistic enough - although, admittedly, I am no expert.
With its roots in the civil war in the Kentucky Virginia area, the Hatfields and McCoys feud is as epic as any in the literary world. That's why this series works so well. If Shakespeare is alive today, he would definitely write a play about them. This is iconic American history.
Two veteran big name actors anchor this series. Kevin Costner plays the leader of the Hatfields, 'Devil' Anse Hatfield. Bill Paxton plays the McCoys elder Randall. By placing such steady hands at the helm, the foundations is set solid. This History channel production is shocking because of its great production value. It sets a new bar for the standard that we must expect from now on.
Two veteran big name actors anchor this series. Kevin Costner plays the leader of the Hatfields, 'Devil' Anse Hatfield. Bill Paxton plays the McCoys elder Randall. By placing such steady hands at the helm, the foundations is set solid. This History channel production is shocking because of its great production value. It sets a new bar for the standard that we must expect from now on.
I was first pulled into The Hatfields and McCoys by the trailer. It shows the usual teaser scenes but the song "Bartholemew" by the The Silent Comedy is one of those songs that just stays in your head and makes you remember. It also has a distinct rocking chair rhythm with a blue grassy sound which is a perfect accompaniment toward the series. I would suggest to check out the other songs on their album,"Common Faults" by The Silent Comedy. I think we will hear more from this group in the future.
But anyway,knowing some of the history of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, I made no real plans to see it. So much parody, jokes and even cartoons have been made of the infamous battle between two clans, that I thought this would be another stinker. But one night the History Channel was repeating the series, nothing else on TV, I decided what the heck!All I can say, I don't know exactly why, but it was like picking up a book and not being able to put it down.
The acting is probably what impressed me. It's good! Kevin Costner does a fine performance as the brooding, yet ornery Devil Anise Hatfield and Bill Paxton as the quiet, "moral seeker" Randall McCoy. Both show a proud fierceness of being the head of two large families and surviving in the rugged wilderness of Kentucky and West Virginia. The rest of the supporting cast does more than lend affirmation toward their characters but they give the film a finer spice and freshness like the mountain air. The only strange thing is that the entire series was filmed in Romania....Romania? A lot of viewers were disappointed that it was not filmed on location by the Tug River near Kentucky and West Virginia. My guess is that it may be cheaper to film in a remote foreign country or a lot of the original locations may have been modernized by buildings or just plain gone.
The Hatfields and McCoys probably take some dramatic liberties to further the plot line, but not much. The most infamous story line is the love story between Johnes Hatfield and Rosanna McCoy. Rosanna did save Johnes's life on that night her brothers took him away to kill him, by riding on horseback thru a dark night to warn Devil Anise. But some have disputed that Johnes was all not that infatuated with Rosanna, and the reason he abandoned her was that he was a notorious womanizer. Johnese decided that being with Rosanna was too dangerous and did not want to deal with the McCoys and that he was not ready to settle down with a family. But whatever the real story, Rosanna's fate was the most tragic.
I was warned the scenes were gory and bloody--sorry--I've seen horror films that were far worse. But some of the murderous acts fighting, and cold hearted acts may upset some viewers. I've heard some say that it pokes fun at religion and with a scene of a ruckus in a church meeting house with a preacher. I never took it that way--it was a tough life living back then and especially in that location. It may have influenced some people to commit acts of violence because they felt the knowing need for survival.
So what can be said about the entire Hatfield and McCoy feud? Two proud families headed by two fierce proud patriarchs that took escalation incidents and lead them to a tragic bloodbath. And that is what the conclusion heading too---it consumed some of the family members while giving us a haunting lesson of what revenge mixed with family pride can do. Would it have ended differently if Devil Anise and Randall took other steps---maybe but probably not. In any event, The Hatfields and McCoys can be historical reminders of how violence or wars can abruptly start while consuming others with tragic consequences.
But anyway,knowing some of the history of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, I made no real plans to see it. So much parody, jokes and even cartoons have been made of the infamous battle between two clans, that I thought this would be another stinker. But one night the History Channel was repeating the series, nothing else on TV, I decided what the heck!All I can say, I don't know exactly why, but it was like picking up a book and not being able to put it down.
The acting is probably what impressed me. It's good! Kevin Costner does a fine performance as the brooding, yet ornery Devil Anise Hatfield and Bill Paxton as the quiet, "moral seeker" Randall McCoy. Both show a proud fierceness of being the head of two large families and surviving in the rugged wilderness of Kentucky and West Virginia. The rest of the supporting cast does more than lend affirmation toward their characters but they give the film a finer spice and freshness like the mountain air. The only strange thing is that the entire series was filmed in Romania....Romania? A lot of viewers were disappointed that it was not filmed on location by the Tug River near Kentucky and West Virginia. My guess is that it may be cheaper to film in a remote foreign country or a lot of the original locations may have been modernized by buildings or just plain gone.
The Hatfields and McCoys probably take some dramatic liberties to further the plot line, but not much. The most infamous story line is the love story between Johnes Hatfield and Rosanna McCoy. Rosanna did save Johnes's life on that night her brothers took him away to kill him, by riding on horseback thru a dark night to warn Devil Anise. But some have disputed that Johnes was all not that infatuated with Rosanna, and the reason he abandoned her was that he was a notorious womanizer. Johnese decided that being with Rosanna was too dangerous and did not want to deal with the McCoys and that he was not ready to settle down with a family. But whatever the real story, Rosanna's fate was the most tragic.
I was warned the scenes were gory and bloody--sorry--I've seen horror films that were far worse. But some of the murderous acts fighting, and cold hearted acts may upset some viewers. I've heard some say that it pokes fun at religion and with a scene of a ruckus in a church meeting house with a preacher. I never took it that way--it was a tough life living back then and especially in that location. It may have influenced some people to commit acts of violence because they felt the knowing need for survival.
So what can be said about the entire Hatfield and McCoy feud? Two proud families headed by two fierce proud patriarchs that took escalation incidents and lead them to a tragic bloodbath. And that is what the conclusion heading too---it consumed some of the family members while giving us a haunting lesson of what revenge mixed with family pride can do. Would it have ended differently if Devil Anise and Randall took other steps---maybe but probably not. In any event, The Hatfields and McCoys can be historical reminders of how violence or wars can abruptly start while consuming others with tragic consequences.
I have to say I was skeptical to say the least when I first heard of this TV-show. A western with Kevin Costner sounded like something we have all already seen, so many times. I even considered not to watch it just because it sounded little lame to me. Well because there are so few shows about civil war the and time after that I decided to watch it anyway. And oh boy I am glad I did.
As I said there is so few good shows or movies about this era. In my opinion this is one of the best. A good dose of action and drama! There is romance and there is some good old western shooting and riding. Tho the thing I like best about this mini show is that it really feels authentic. Its like I am there watching the rebuild of the south after a long civil war. So all the history fans out there I am pretty sure you will like it a lot. I think all the actors do a great job! The characters are quite deep and interesting. Some of them also little comical. My favorite is Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy! The father and head of the family and a man full of so much agony and bitterness. I like Kevin Costners performance too!
The fact that I like this genre so much might affect my review but I still think this is a show well worth watching.
As I said there is so few good shows or movies about this era. In my opinion this is one of the best. A good dose of action and drama! There is romance and there is some good old western shooting and riding. Tho the thing I like best about this mini show is that it really feels authentic. Its like I am there watching the rebuild of the south after a long civil war. So all the history fans out there I am pretty sure you will like it a lot. I think all the actors do a great job! The characters are quite deep and interesting. Some of them also little comical. My favorite is Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy! The father and head of the family and a man full of so much agony and bitterness. I like Kevin Costners performance too!
The fact that I like this genre so much might affect my review but I still think this is a show well worth watching.
Did you know
- Trivia(2012) According to Nielsen Co. figures, the show set a cable viewing record as the top-rated entertainment telecast ever for ad-supported basic cable. The 3 parts pulled in 13.9 million, 13.1 million and 14.3 million viewers respectively. The previous top-rated basic cable entertainment program was TNT's Crossfire Trail (2001).
- GoofsThe mountains sometimes shown in the background have jagged peaks that are found in the Rocky Mountains. The mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky have rounded peaks like the rest of the Appalachian Mountains owing to millions of years of glaciers advancing and retreating and eons of erosion. The much younger Rockies have jagged peaks because they have not yet gone through the many years of erosion.
- Crazy creditsEpilogue B: "So much so that one name cannot be spoken without the other. In 2003, after 138 years, a symbolic peace treaty was signed by 60 descendants from both families. A final truce between the...The Hatfields and The McCoys."
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.147 (2012)
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- 血仇
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- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
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- 16:9 HD
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