"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.
