Review: Hatfields and McCoys

Watched part 1 of 3 last night. I’m not a Kevin Costner fan. I may have liked him in The Postman (because of the post-apocalyptical aspect) and Dances with Wolves. Robin Hood was okay because of the storyline, not his stellar English accent or acting abilites.

I also don’t really like Bill Paxton (he was okay as the little brother in Kurt Russell’s Tombstone) but until I looked at the list on IMDB I’d forgotten I’d seen several other movies with him. Forgetability-my memory or his acting, you decide.

All of which matters not a bit when I say I was glued to the screen for the 2 hours Hatfields & McCoys was on. Course Tom Beringer was in it, so unrecognizable I had to look up who he played; Powers Booth was excellent as the Hatfield judge.

In the beginning I was confused as to who was who; a family tree of the surnames belonging to which side of this little fued would have been helpful. Cousins on both sides were lost to me and I was left with only a vague feeling of which family the allegiances belonged to.

Also a map. Until it was on the screen before me I’d never heard of Tug Creek; I thought the fued was in Kentucy not West Virginia (it’s a cross-state/cross-river fued); and with the distance necessary to travel, the sense of time seemed more than a little off.

Over all, I give this installment a solid B rating for interest, drama, minimual names I’m forced to remember (I know the live ones, the dead on either side are ancillary thus far), and the fact I have every interest of watching episode 2 tonight.