User reviews

As a descendant of the Hatfield clan I found everything shown in this mini series mostly true. As a young teenager I did a report on it for school. The Johnse/Rosanna romance was true. As for Johnse being a romancer of women Rosanna even mentions that in part 1. The stolen pig is true along with the all of the killings that took place. The only parts I haven't confirmed in my time on earth is the part where Devil Anse takes Johnse fishing to find out if he told Nancy where the Hatfields were and Devil Anse being baptized. It's by far the best movie production by far about the feud. A lot of the little things like the 2 guys cutting the tree on the down hillside which isn't the way to cut a tree doesn't bother me. The major points of the feud were brought out n now a lot more know about history of the Hatfield & McCoys.

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.

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 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.

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.

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+

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.

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

The plot, being a real story could be interesting, if it not for its silly premises and the execution that, my bad, leave much to desire.

The whole movie indeed, between a spit and a gunshot it is not, despite its potential, as gripping or engaging as it could have been. The problem is, as well, that all the premises to this eternal fight, turn around a couple families that look like really a bunch of specious and forceful idiots! Maybe it needed some poetic license to adjust the aims.

The script is somehow flat, many secondary characters, impersonal and banal. The photography, that should accompany a now day film of this scale, isn't that great. Locations, sets and costumes, generic and not studied and not really characterized. Many characters so shallow you wont really care about. Kevin Costner is good but, wow, seems like that to enter into his hard soul cowboy character he had to (obviously) spit on the ground every now and then. Doubtless his charismatic presence, greatly helps the entire movie, anyway.

Don't get me wrong, this three episode movie still watchable but, it is a shame the fact that with this main cast (Costner, Paxton, Berenger, Boothe, Howard and the beautiful Parish) and this plot, with a bit more attention and build effort, and maybe some gripping poetic licenses, it could have been great. It is just not really well executed to me, despite the now day cinematography possibilities. It looked like made right to the TV without any (but necessary) extra efforts. The fight scenes were often out of focus and barely comprehensible and the whole movie a little stretched and not well edited, so, also the pacing and the linearity are loosed in here.

I have read "best miniseries" everywhere but if you watched enough TV series and miniseries you should know there are many better executed and gripping one out there. Cause those sentences and the actual 8.1/10 I really expected much more. It is instead around a barely simple 6-7/10 to me, that precisely, does not mean it is excellent at all.

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.

Before you go ballistic about this rotten review of what is otherwise a pretty good flick, I feel I needed to take a stand against the recent trends in the opening "credit reel" in films like this. There is NOTHING worse than credits that roll incessantly into 10 minutes or more of the film, rolling in the background over scenes meant to draw you in with the drama taking place - yet you are obliged to read another credit being splashed on the screen. I liken this to the inane "popups" we all get in the Internet world. Sorry, but when during the opening scenes in Part 2 showing Costner rescuing Matt Barr (Johnse Hatfield) from certain death, I don't give a damn who the Asst Asst Producer is. And this crap continued even deeper into the movie, so I hit the eject button. Where did these people learn how to make a movie? Do they understand the nature of continuity and how it is absolutely destroyed when credits continue unabated well into the dialogue, drama and action taking place? Awful.

And, I fully blame the director here for allowing this sort of thing to ruin the most critical part of the film - the first 10 minutes - the time to either draw in the audience or put them to sleep with endless advertising for people that might have had some vicarious connection to the movie or maybe a relative of the Key Grip guy. So, there it is - 1 star. Maybe if enough of us complain, this grotesque filmmaking trend will go to the cutting room floor where it belongs!

"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.

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.

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.

5 reasons.

1. Kevin Costner 2. Powers Boothe 3. Tom Berenger 4. Hogue 5. Cap

I've always called Hogue, well Hogue since "Below" he's good on here. Cap was too skinny otherwise gorgeous. I love Powers Boothe, he's one of my favorites. Tom Berenger is close to my heart from his 90's movies. Don't like his demise. I was all for Hatfields but that's where all my goons were except Hogue, but he was a good Bad Frank Phillips. I wonder if we're related.

Hmmm.. Where to begin.

It took a while for me to get into the first episode, I enjoyed the second, then the third just ticked me off. The acting was fairly good throughout.

Costner was very good. Paxton didn't really have very much to work with. He had several scenes, but he was only given a few notes to play during the entire series. The cinematography was fine, but not special.

The strangest parts to me where how how inconsistent the directing seemed to be. The edit was sloppy at times. It also seemed like audio was occasionally not syncing up. There wasn't a steady feel to the entire film/series, which is on the director. The story had issues which i attributed to the fact that maybe they were sticking with the actual facts, but since then I've heard they strayed from the actual history, so they really have no excuse.

Halfway during episode two I noticed there was no longer anyone that I cared about. Tons of characters were left, but why should I care about any of them. I couldn't connect. The "I kill, you kill, I kill, you kill" theme got old extremely quick. You may say that that is the entire point of the feud. If so, i would have suggested they just not make it into a film. I'll refrain from getting into how much I disliked the ending and the "recaps."

While I didn't know much about the story other than the obvious family feud, I was really looking forward to seeing this mini-series. I know more about it now, but I'm left even more confused than before. The way this series was done was awful. It wasn't until halfway through that I even started to grasp who was who and for which side. Other than Anse and Randall (and their wives), I had a difficult time following the story. There were so many 1-scene characters that I'm guessing we should have known who they were, but I couldn't tell one from the other. At times I had difficulty determining who Paxton or Costner were! The dialog was a bit suspect at times too..."what did he say" and "what does that mean?" kept running through my head. Also, there were times when a character would show guts in a scene, then cower in a corner (so to speak) the next. Either you're a bad a** or you're not, right? And with all the alcohol being consumed, it's a wonder that they got anything done! Character development was poor (other than a handful of the cast) and nobody stood out. I feel that this would have been better if it were a 12-15 episode season instead of the 4.5 hours (not counting commercials) mini series.