LITTLE ROCK — And now for something completely different. At least for History channel.
The home of American Pickers and Pawn Stars has pulled out all the stops to present an original, three-night, six-hour “epic event” featuring big-name stars Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton. Hatfields & Mc-Coys airs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 each night.
“Epic” is tossed about a bit too casually on TV these days. I get publicity passing off The Bachelor Reunion special as “epic” TV. It’s not. Few things are anymore.
Roots was an epic miniseries. Ken Burns’ The Civil War was epic. Anything to do with Lonesome Dove was epic TV.
These days, the most simple two-part “miniseries” comes slathered with hyperbole. In most cases, it’s just a two-part, four-hour movie bloated with about an hour’s worth of commercials.
But with Hatfields & McCoys, I must give credit where it’s due. The production (shot in Romania) is ambitious. The casting is inspired and the verisimilitude to costumes and sense of place impressive.
This is a miniseries that takes on a classic chunk of American folklore legend with sweeping themes and churns out three nights of satisfying costume drama.
If there’s any criticism, it’s that Paxton’s Randall McCoy goes too far in chewing the scenery. Also, the series covers a lot of territory — about four decades from late in the Civil War to the turn of the 20th century. That’s a lot of ground to be covered by the same actors who are supposed to be in their 20s when it begins.
And a word of caution to the squeamish. This is a violent miniseries, as you might expect anything on such a violent feud to be. Lots of folks die. They are shot, stabbed, hanged and burned up. Keep the kiddies at bay.
Most Americans with any grasp on history will know something about the Hatfields and McCoys. The feud between the two families spanned decades and even caused ill feelings between Kentucky and West Virginia.
The Hatfield-McCoy saga begins with “Devil Anse” Hatfield (Costner) and Randall McCoy (Paxton). The men were close friends until near the end of the Civil War.
Once they returned home — Hatfield to West Virginia and McCoy to his place just across the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River in Kentucky — increasing tensions, misunderstandings and resentments soon grew between the two large and extended families.
When Devil Anse, a successful timber merchant, wins a legal battle against McCoy’s cousin in a dispute over timber rights, the tension quickly escalates to near the boiling point.
Enter the pig.
In 1878, Randall accuses Devil Anse’s cousin Floyd of stealing his pig. The pig is the porcine straw that breaks the camel’s back. There’s a trial and Floyd is cleared of all charges. Violence erupts. Murder most foul takes place.
Despite the bad blood, Randall’s daughter Roseanna (Lindsay Pulsipher) falls for (or is willingly seduced by) Johnse Hatfield (Matt Barr), Devil Anse’s hopelessly romantic oldest son.
It’s like Romeo and Juliet with guns. Roseanna gets pregnant. Bad things happen. More people die as the clans continue to clash.
The Oscar-winning Costner and Paxton aren’t the only name-brand stars.
Joining them is Tom Berenger as Jim Vance, Devil Anse’s “Uncle Jim.” He’s the coarse, harddrinking warlord of the Hatfield family.
Also onboard are Powers Boothe as Wall Hatfield, Devil Anse’s fair-minded older brother, who was the local justice of the peace and judge; and Mare Winningham as Randall’s wife, Sally.
Sally would eventually lose four sons, a daughter and her own sanity in the feud.
Jena Malone portrays Roseanna’s vixen cousin Nancy Mc-Coy.
Scene stealer: Look for Noel Fisher (The Riches, Shameless) as Cotton Top Mounts, the disabled bastard son of Ellison Hatfield. Cotton Top’s disability leads to the most tragic incident in the feud and his sacrifice helps to end it.
After 1890, the feud had run its course and began to fade into myth and legend.
Ironically, Randall McCoy and Devil Anse Hatfield managed to live to a ripe old age. McCoy made it to 1914 and age 88 before dying in an accidental fire.
Hatfield, a lifelong religious skeptic (his position plays an important part in the film), was finally baptized at age 73 and he died peacefully at home in bed in 1921 at the age of 81.
TV Week, Pages 81 on 05/27/2012