I am not going to tell you anything of the History of that feud. If you want to know, simply watch it! The cast did an excellent job and captured the essence of one of the worst feuds in US History. It almost caused another war--literally. It was a joy to see this cast in action--especially Costner, Paxton and Mare Winningham! If this does not get a Golden Globe, People's Choice Award or an Emmy then this nation has a screw loose! I have not seen anything this good in years in the way of Westerns...There was none of that "modernization" or revisionist garbage! This is realistic and it is excellent! Watch it! You will not be wasting your time as it truly does capture the spirit of the era in which this took place.

I'll start off by saying that I'm not the biggest Costner fan in the world. I don't hate him like a lot of people do, but I find that he can be quite wooden when he acts. That said, he did an awesome job with this one! Everyone did an awesome job!

We all know the story, but this drama brings it to life vividly and highlights an important lesson. The series is beautifully shot, fully capturing the grit of the period. The set's and props also look great.

Kevin Costner, who, like I said above, is usually rather wooden, shines here as someone who originally wanted no part in the feud, but as time goes on is fully drawn into it. Appearing more level headed as McCoy, in truth, Devil Anse is just as hateful.

Bill Paxton made the series for me as Randall McCoy. We see how McCoy, who is inexorably screwed at almost every turn, grows more and more bitter, and hateful. The more bitter he get's, the more he gets screwed and we see an enormous downward spiral. The character invokes massive amounts of pity, because he really did go through a lot from the beginning. This is only added to when the feud begins. He loses several children, his home and his wife goes mad. At the same time, the character makes you want to slap him because his stubbornness causes most of his troubles. Toward the end, he's a broken, hollow man that has lost most everything, but still refuses to let things go. A brilliant performance, as it shows where bitterness can lead.

The supporting cast is great as well, with the likes of Mare Winningham giving the most profound lines of truth toward the end. The musical score is great in some places, but it lacks in others.

So haters are gonna hate (as you can see from the message boards), but it really is a great series. Is it the most accurate? No, but it captures the spirit of the feud and the real tragedy that it was. Were the performances perfect? No. They rarely are. Was it shot in Romania? Yes, but I don't know the reasoning over that (probably money), so I'm not going to judge. No film is perfect, but this one is great and finally presents some actual HISTORY on The History Channel that has been sorely missed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys began during the Civil War and lasted according to the ending credits over 100 years. This mini-series covers some of the highlights (lowlights?) and it is hard to keep track of all the characters involved. Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton play the two patriarchs. Evidently Kevin Costner has made up with his old collaborator Kevin Reynolds who directed the series. They had their own feud going for quite awhile. Mr. Costner actually does a very good job in the acting department. Like some of his fellow actors (Mel Gibson, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood) he has an Oscar for directing but not for acting. Tom Berenger who is unrecognizable is another stand out in the acting department. This series should also make a star of Matt Barr who plays one of the Hatfields and gets romantically involved with not one but two of the McCoy girls. This is the Romeo & Juliet section of the story. There are lots of other good performances in the series and unfortunately the series is probably too violent to show in our schools even though it provides a valuable lesson in American History.

I enjoyed Hatfields & McCoys except for one thing: The audio in the first segment was horrible. So bad in fact that most of my friends turned it off after 30 minutes because they couldn't understand what the actors were saying. The plot, especially in the beginning was very important to the rest of the story, and there were so many characters involved that if you didn't know what they said, you were lost. The biggest issue was the mumbling of the actors, combined with what appeared to be lousy sound pick-up. Further along into part one, the audio seemed to clear up and the actors stopped mumbling for the most part. The second and third parts of the series were much better, audio wise.

Be aware that I am from southern WV, and while it may be hard for people outside this area to understand the dialect, it isn't for me. The early mumbling and audio was just bad.

Now, as far as the rest of the movie: I give it a 7, which is high for me. I'm glad to see the fact that these people weren't portrayed as stupid barefoot hillbillies. Check the history of Devil Anse on the Net and you'll find out that he was smart, wealthy, and the family turned out doctors and lawyers and governors. All in all, I like the show.

"You are talking about starting another civil war. That's not talk John, that's what we already got." Becoming close friends during the Civil War, Anse Hatfield (Costner) and Randall McCoy (Paxton) have a little falling out when Anse takes off one night and abandons the fighting. Little by little the families lives cross paths and tension continue to mount. When one of McCoys's sons is attacked by a member of the Hatfield family a war is begun. I have stated before that the last really good western to me was "Open Range" since then the genre has had a rough 10 years. Leave it to Costner to bring it back. Even though this is a made-for-TV series don't let that scare you off. The movie is a must see for western fans and history buffs. I really don't know anything about the actual history of the feud but this movie made me want to learn more. Costner is perfect in this role as the leader of the Hatfield clan. Paxton is good, but a strange choice in the role of the McCoy's head. I could really go on and on about this movie but I will just say that this could be the movie that returns the western genre to the way it should be. For a movie on the History channel this is not in anyway tame or holds back at all. Violent and brutal with great characters. I highly recommend this. Overall, the best western since "Open Range" and one of the best TV movies I have ever seen. I give it an A.

I use IMDb all the time for viewing ratings, actors, etc. and this is the first time I have EVER myself rated anything! I saw that this series currently had a 5.5 rating which is INSANE!!! I am a huge movie watcher and this is one of my all time favorites already! I would never create an account and rate this a 10 if it wasn't deserving!

I will not say any spoilers but I urge anyone who loves History or documentaries to PLEASE just watch the first episode of the 3 and please rate this! Costner & Plaxton were amazing! I was on the edge of my seat during the whole 3 part series!

Great great movie series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dan

In the tradition of such classic mini series like roots and the thorn birds, this is definitely ranks up there with those classics, it's based on a true story on the feud between the Hatfield's & McCoys feud from 1863-91 and it ends with many deaths and many bad memories, Kevin Costner in one of his best performances since dances with wolves plays William McCoy and Bill Paxton as McCoy and they shine in this film, along with great supporting work by tom berenger, powers booth and Mare Winningham, This movie delivers the best characters, the best story and the best teleplay i've ever seen in years, this is a sure fire emmy contender and definitely the years best in tube.

I Give it an A+

When I say the only thing missing are the great lines I mean to say that this is a truly excellent historical recreation of dramatic and fascinating real events and I almost wanted to give it a 9 - but its screenplay is more journalistic than artistic. No memorable lines here. It doesn't quite soar to the heights. Not Shakespeare. Not even The Lion In Winter.

But do I have a right to expect that of it? Not really. This was, after all, a hillbilly blood bath, and its intention, I believe, was to recreate it with a stark realism. And it succeeded there, very honorably.

This is one of the better made-for-TV multi-part movies in a very long time and one that is largely faithful to the true events - which is no small accomplishment to achieve. And hats off for its honesty and veracity.

Here you find fine acting, cinematography, direction, editing...it was one of the must-see broadcasts of the year, certainly (I couldn't wait to see the next part as it unfolded).

While having to tone down the violence for TV somewhat, it's not toned down all that much. And that's one of the ways Kevin Costner gets his point across. You get more than the average feel for the horrors of a blood feud, with great intensity. Deaths are upsetting - as they should be in any fine production. Could they have been more moving? Perhaps. That's why I rate this 8 and not 10 stars.

But Kevin Costner's Hatfields & McCoys hits on all cylinders and has nothing to apologize for. To achieve greater heights requires genius and we cannot require that of every movie we feel is praiseworthy.

This is a taut, quality film and one that contains many fine performances. A cautionary tale, too, of course, and on that level alone it is worth seeing.

One last thing - because multi-part TV movies are by definition longer than the average film, they also tend to seem overly long and be a bit more daunting to view - especially when considering whether to watch them a second or third time. This inherent structural challenge is the only thing that has kept me from viewing it for a second time - and perhaps if it had not been a multi-parter but had been cut down to just one long movie (even if three hours long) it might have (with the proper editing) been able to tighten up enough to qualify for a 9 star rank.

Yet...it's definitely worth summoning up the patience to view once. In retrospect, I have to marvel at the amount of work Kevin Costner put into this effort and how well he served his subject and purpose.

Excellent made mini-series. I recorded all three parts and was going to watch a little at a time, however when I started watching it I couldn't stop. Since I recorded it on my DVR I was able to FF thru all the commercials. Really Impressed! Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton done a fantastic performance as the Patriarchs of the families. Tom Berenger and many other actors contributed much in the way of there character as well. This story and it's inter-personal family issues were so real and timeless. I think many people was able to relate in some aspects to one or more characters in there own life. The feelings and emotions were expressed in such a real way that I felt like I was right there in person witnessing each incident that took place.

HATFIELDS & McCOYS is well-acted and well-filmed. According to some other reviewers, many of the historical fine points are inaccurate. Nevertheless, it relates the basic story very well, and, most importantly, gives an impartial dual-focus of the two clans and the complex nature of their snowballing feud.

The whole flavor of the film is that of a very good made-for-TV Western--or perhaps "Eastern" is the proper term. By necessity, of course, it's repetitively violent and full of shoot-'em-ups, hangings, and such, and is often rather depressing, with little humor or any other form of relief. Many may find this 290-minute TV miniseries a bit hard to watch in one or two nights. Still, it's a very captivating story whose beautiful scenery provides excellent contrast with its grim plot. Actually filmed in the Carpatian Mountains of Romania (!), but, aside from some stagey-looking buildings, it could have fooled me into thinking I was looking at authentic Appalachia.

When you put this into the context that it is a television produced series for cable (History Channel), you might discount the quality of this mini-series. The cast once you get past the main players is not well known but they seem to very much fit their roles. The events are told with an obvious pain taking detail.

This series does a lot of things very right. When I watched it on Blue Ray, the DVD really brings out the obvious attention to details used in the production. Considering one of the producers is Kevin Costner, kudos to him and the production crew are really in order.

In a way it was disappointing to find out it was not filmed in Kentucky and West Virginia. The stunning visuals more that make up for that. Romania is where a lot of the filming was done and much care was taken in choosing the locations obviously when you watch this.

I did not catch the television broadcast of this and am glad I watched it on DVD. It is easier to follow the story, the sound and visuals on the DVD are great, and you can skip the Pawn Stars commercials (right Chumley?).

Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton head an outstanding cast and the feud is definitely on. The true saga behind this tale is so sad. So many people die for the worst of reasons. If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that life is short and precious, try not to let bad blood get in the way if you can help it. The trouble is that in family matters, they only work well if there is trust between the members. Here is the history of mistrust and what it caused in a well told tale. The script is outstanding.

I ATE UP the Hatfields & McCoys yesterday and today. Just finished Episode 3. I imagine like many people because I have hardly read anything about the history, their story for me has been one of cheesy backwoods feuds, a catchphrase to use to describe bad blood between people. Well, I could not have been more wrong and Kevin Costner has come forward, along with Kevin Reynolds to produce, star in, with Reynolds directing, this magnificent three-part series on the History Channel. While there is a bit of the Borgias and the Corleones (the McCoys and Hatfields, respectively) in their blood/honor feud, there still is a compelling and tragic story that informs how it all came to be.

Beautifully acted, scripted, produced. Costner has given us the quality of his film Open Range in Kentucky and West Virginia (but conveniently filmed in Romania to capture the open space, feeling and time of those places). Bill Paxton, Costner, and particularly Tom Berenger as Anse Hatfield's "Lieutenant" (who I did not recognize at all), disappear into their roles. Don't miss it - can be seen on Cable, On Demand if you've missed the run on History.

You have heard of the expression "cooler heads prevail(ed)" ... not in this case. Talk about things spiraling out of control. And it's all based on a real family feud. So during the end credits you get some of the "history" of the characters you just watched. One thing is for sure: Kevin Costner shows his love for Western once again. And him and Bill Paxton do a phenomenal job carrying this movie.

Of course there are a lot of other people. Even one regular Deadwood actor (Powers Boothe) is in it. Which while generally a good thing it might remind some of how great Deadwood was. Not knocking this down in any way, it's really good, but compared to Deadwood it does slack in a couple of things. But this really is about human drama, about not being able to let go of things and having trouble to find peace. Now there might be some moments where you find yourself also raging at what characters do. So it's not that it is completely easy to just forgive and forget. Especially at a time where revenge was more common, even though it was considered illegal ...

As a Canadian I have a somewhat different take on the American western. In film school we studied it as a genre, rather than as history. Director Reynolds, with the same deep interest most Texans hold in their hearts for the genre, gives us a wonderful, poignant entry to this genre. Costner pursues his abiding love of Westerns, after two marvellous directorial efforts in the genre and even more forays as an actor.

The wonderful thing about both Kevin Costner and Kevin Reynolds is that they strive to make their westerns as both history and contributions to the genre.

As a French Canadian I also tend to place each film I see in a sort of continuity within an artist's evolution rather than as a singular piece of art. As such it has merits beyond itself. Its more of a European bias that allows me to love a film for its non diagetical qualities. Remnants of the "Nouvelle Vague" way of looking at film.

The Hatfields & McCoys, beyond its own merits as a western or as an historical reference point (and it has many merits) is another chapter in the collaboration and artistic exchange between Reynolds, and Costner. This one seems to be a very healing experience, after the very painful ones of Robin Hood (1991) and Waterworld (1995).

Reynolds is the director who launched Kevin Costner way back when in 1985, when he cast him in Fandango. In 1990, when Costner turned his hand at directing for the first time with another western, the very risky Dances With Wolves, he turned to his friend Reynolds for advice. He even went to far as to give him "special thanks" acknowledgement in the end credits.

After over twenty five years of ups and downs it is satisfying to see them collaborating again. It is great to have them finding success and recognition together. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Fantastic historical docudrama of an American family feud that began soon after the Civil War continuing for almost three decades. Excellent acting, and research EXCEPT for one fairly strange oversight on the part of the screenwriters -- A congregation is singing "Are You Washed In the Blood?" soon after the War as McCoy and his wife walk arm in arm into church --.. problem is -- this traditionally recognized tune to the lyrics were not set to music until 1888... two decades after McCoy returns from the War. Other than that glitch -- it's a pretty darn good movie and definitively intriguing tragic slice of Americana.

Another interesting tidbit about the film is that this very "American" historical story is filmed in Romania. According to commentary about this point, it was because there are apparently no native, unmarked forest or mountain ranges comparable to West Virginia or Kentucky in which it could be filmed due to the extent of power lines, etc. I find it difficult to believe that with all the cinematographic advances enjoyed by movie goers, there wouldn't be a way to edit 'ink over' or erase any possible power lines IF they were to appear in a film sequence. Just a thought.

I watched the first two parts of this mini-series yesterday and then found out Kevin Costner picked up a Best Actor award at the Golden Globes later in the evening for his role as the patriarch of the Hatfield Clan. I don't think I've seen him give a finer performance. There's an interesting dichotomy to his portrayal of Devil 'Anse' Hatfield. Viewed objectively, the character does live up to his nickname with a stone cold heart and an unwavering quest for revenge for every wrong committed against his extended family. The odd thing is, somehow he comes across as reasonable, even when he's about to execute a trio of McCoy kin propped up in front of a Hatfield firing squad.

The same holds true for his nemesis Randall McCoy (Bill Paxton). Randall is the more tragic of the two figures, who succumbs to alcohol and a placid sort of dementia over time after witnessing so many of his family fall victim to the infamous feud. Paxton could have been a contender for the same Golden Globe award, but his character didn't have the kind of charisma that Costner brought to his portrayal. Even so, Paxton does a superb job in his role.

Other standouts in the story include Tom Berenger as Uncle Jim Vance on the Hatfield side, and Mare Winningham as Randall's wife Sally. Berenger's completely unrecognizable, at least to me, underneath the woolly beard and all that mountain man gear. Whenever I see Winningham, I think back to her Brat Pack days in "St. Elmo's Fire" and marvel at how she's developed as an actress over the years. The writers gave her a great line when she made an observation about the newly discovered light bulb, calling it Tom Edison's electric lightning ball - that was a hoot.

Over the years and like most people, I had heard of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys without ever knowing anything about it's history. After a falling out over Anse Hatfield's desertion from the Confederate Army in 1863, and Randall's serving time in a Union prison camp, the two men always seemed to have something come up between them. Sometimes it involved cousins or other kinfolk, but the matter generally landed at each other's doorstep forcing one man's hand against the other. The war between the families didn't end until 1891, and even then only unofficially. The end credits state that a formal resolution wasn't reached until, get this, 2003!, when a formal peace treaty was signed by sixty descendants of the original ancestors. One hundred thirty eight years - and you thought your neighbor was a pain in the neck.

I'll admit right away that I'm predisposed to like this sort of material. Ever since I had the pleasure of watching THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, I've been caught up in watching historical (or historically tinged) TV drama and I've invariably liked all of them, from the greatness of ROME to even the not-so-greatness of CAMELOT.

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS was especially interesting to me because it tells a story that I'm entirely unfamiliar with, about feuding families in a post-Civil War America. I'd never heard of either family beforehand, but by watching this I became caught up in the storyline, wanting to know more about them.

The production values are strong and director Kevin Reynolds brings the same credibility to the proceedings as he did with TRISTAN & ISOLDE, sweeping you into the authenticity and keeping you in that world. The tit-for-tat nature of the violence is enthralling and the series rushes through the plotting at speed, with plenty of story to pack into roughly four and a half hours.

Kevin Costner is the big name headlining the cast, and it's intriguing to see him playing an antihero for once. His grim and grimy patriarch is a far cry from the kind of clean-cut heroes he played of old, and he brings a certain stubborn maturity to the part. Bill Paxton's character has less depth, but I've never seen this guy give a bad performance yet. And check out that supporting cast: a welcome return to the screen for Powers Boothe, an appearance from a personal favourite (THE TUDORS' Nick Dunning) and Tom Berenger giving a larger-than-life, scene-stealer of a performance.

The ending is a slight disappointment - if you're expecting everything to be neatly tied up you'll won't get it - but the journey to get there is thoroughly entertaining and the History Channel have done themselves proud. More like this, please!

Most of us who grew up in the USA heard at least of the "Hatfields and the McCoys" and their long-running feud, even if we didn't really know what it was all about. This movie, with two of the big guns in historical realism, Costner and Paxron, bring this story into focus.

I saw it on DVD, which runs a total of 290 minutes, almost 5 full hours, in three parts. It takes its time to develop the story, which is a pretty fascinating one. Fortunately for all the descendants of both families, an official truce was finally called in more recent years.

Kevin Costner is 'Devil' Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxton is Randall McCoy. We see that they were fighting together on the Confederate side during the Civil War of the 1860s. But at some point, after a particularly bloody battle, Hatfield decides that he's had enough and just gets on a horse and rides off home to West Virginia. There he resumes his life and acquiring property for logging operations.

But McCoy sticks it out, and eventually returns home just a few miles from the Hatfields. Naturally there is now bad blood between these two men who had at one time fought side-by-side.

To make matters worse, the Hatfields were a mean bunch, not hesitating to take the law into their own hands when they needed to. Anse was the measnest, and given the nickname 'Devil.' The McCoys were just the opposite, basically gentle and peace-loving people.

So this long movie, which never gets boring, is about those two families, the incidents that led to the feud, and how that affected them over the years.

Hatfields & McCoys (2012)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Despite a few flaws, The History Channel's telling of the infamous Hatfield and McCoy feud makes for some terrific entertainment and features a cast making a major comeback in their careers. The leaders of the families, Anse Hatfield (Kevin Costner) and Randall McCoy (Bill Paxton), go through more than a decade of each one having family members killed and as time drags on the states of Kentucky and West Virginia get pulled into it.

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS runs just under five hours and I decided to watch the film in its entirety instead of breaking it down into its three parts. I must say that even though I went through the entire thing in one sitting that it never felt long and in fact it actually went by fairly quickly. I will admit that there are many flaws in the picture but for the most part you really can't be disappointed in the end result. I'll start off talking about the flaws and it's funny that in the five-hour running time the most boring aspects for me were the first ten or fifteen minutes when we're seeing the two families during the Civil War era. These early scenes really didn't seem to be overly needed but I understand why they were included. It's when the actual feud starts over a stolen pig that things really started to take off and they never slowed down. Another flaw was the music score, which was quite annoying at times and especially during the moments where a song was played. I'm going to guess that the director wanted to add some sort of emotion but the song doesn't do this.

With that said, the film is such an epic that you can't help but be impressed with it. Yes, I'm sure certain facts were changed for entertainment and I'm sure there were countless stories that aren't told about the feud but I think they did a very good job at getting as much in as they could. The most impressive thing is the fact that the story never gets boring or drawn out, which is saying quite a bit considering the running time. I thought the way the story was told was very good and they're able to draw you into the excitement of the battle but also make you keep asking yourself how many people have to die before one side calls an end to it. The film contains quite a bit of violence and I enjoyed and respected the fact that the film doesn't shy away from the fact that not only were men killed but so were women, children and even a mentally challenged boy.

The greatest thing about the movie is that we get some terrific actors given some of the best material in many years and all of them do a masterful job. It starts with Costner who delivers the type of performance that made him one of the biggest stars in his time. He does a terrific job with the part and manages to show just about every side of this character that you could expect. His character goes through quite a bit and Costner nails every emotion along the way. Paxton is also terrific in his part and I think it's fair to say that his character goes through even more damage and the way the actor starts to question everything around him was very strong and touching. Tom Berenger is wonderful as Jim Vance and we get an exceptionally strong Powers Boothe playing Judge Hatfield. Other excellent performances come from Jena Malone, Andrew Howard, Lindsay Pulsipher, Sarah Parish and Matt Barr.

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS does justice to the infamy of the two families and I really don't think you could have hoped for much more.

Without regard to historical accuracy or actor prowess I watched the mini-series front to back on the same day. At first I was a bit confused as to who was who. It was a brief confusion. As the story gained its footing it became easy to follow. It engendered every emotion that a classical play could. Although somewhat uneven in its direction and cut, it still held my attention because of the acting. It serves no purpose to identify the actors by name as they all were foundational in bringing this story to life. Usually I can watch this kind of story while occasionally administrating to other aspects of my life. Not in this case. I was riveted to the screen. As argued by others, there may be many holes in the way the story unfolded, and finished. They may be right. However, I was thoroughly entertained by the presentation. Mortified might be a better word to describe what I saw. This series is a beautiful assault on current regimented thinking. It will easily cause pause, once watched. It is a WTF to anybody interested who does not know the genesis of the term "Hatfield and McCoys". Flawed, yes. Compelling, yes. In short, not a waste of time.

Although I wouldn't consider myself to be a biggest fan of Civil war and post-Civil war part of American history, this title is just amazing. Let me say that I've decided to watch this 3-part 5-hour story at approximately 00:30 AM and wanted to watch one episode per day. The plan went wrong, it's 6:10 AM in Serbia and I'm amazed by this picture. Enough said...

The story is full of content, a mix of amazing love stories, vengeance and moral doubts about it. When you watch this, you switch your favorite side every five minutes, driven by a thought of right to collect the debt and again just wanting it to stop. As I come from a war-torn country, with former neighbors killing each others children, I kinda get the logic of blood-blinded, loss-driven minds of people who seek for what they think is justice. There's no easy way out of this circle and after years and years of blood sheds, people come to realization that the whole thing could be managed differently. That is the worst curse of mankind and that's what this film is all about...