The Hatfields and the McCoys

The Hatfield - McCoy feud of Appalachia is America's most famous feud, even if others were bloodier and more intense. It started when "Devil" Anse Hatfield, a West Virginia logger and Confederate militia leader, was suspected in the death of Harmon McCoy during the Civil War. Harmon, a Union soldier from across the river in Kentucky, made the mistake of recoperating in the pro-Confederate area and paid with his life. Although there was no proof that Hatfield killed Harmon or ordered such, the suspicion lingered. It rose to the surface later when Randall McCoy, Harmon's brother and family leader in what followed, accused a Hatfield of apprehending a free-feeding McCoy hog. McCoy's claims were refuted at a trial, starting what would be the start of a streak of terrible misfortune.

The suspicions between the families erupted at an Election Day festival in 1882, when three sons of Randall fatally stabbed Ellison Hatfield, Devil Anse's brother during a liquor fueled dispute. Devil Anse forcefully took custody of the three McCoys, and when Ellison expired, had them executed.

"The Hatfields and McCoys" to its credit, treats the two family heads as intelligent men and somewhat reluctant warriors. The late 19th century dialect is well done. The movie starts off fairly close to the real story, but abandons it for heavy dramatic license. For one thing, there was maybe only one real mobilization of the one party against the other - a midnight raid by the Hatfields (less Devil Anse, who begged off) upon the McCoy cabin across the Tug. For some reason, the raid and its terrible consequences - a son and daughter of Randall killed, Randall's wife hurt, and their cabin burned - are skipped over to show male feudists blasting away at each other in broad daylight.

Nor did Randall and Devil Anse end up forgetting things in a deer hunt. The losses the two men took were uneven; Devil Anse lost a brother and a nephew, while Randall lost a brother, five sons and a daughter to violence, plus another daughter to sickness and a broken heart. It goes without saying Randall was just a bit bitter.

Worth seeing if only to watch Jack Palace as Devil Anse, or to invite a reading of a detailed book or a website on the topic.

According to actual history, a former Union soldier by the name of Asa Harmon McCoy was killed by some Confederates not long after returning to his home in Kentucky. Rumors circulating at the time had it that the killing was committed by a member of a rival family known as the Hatfields--who lived not far away in West Virginia, but nothing was ever proven one way or the other. This was in 1864. Several years later, in 1878, a dispute subsequently broke out between family members from these two families due to a controversy over a hog. The issue was taken to court and, based on the testimony from a person who had relatives in both families, the court sided with the Hatfields--and once again the McCoys felt that they were denied justice. However, it wasn't until a young woman named "Rose Ann McCoy" (Karen Lamm) ran off one night with "Johnse Hatfield" (Richard Hatch) that things began to spiral out-of-control, and the famous feud actually began. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film started off reasonably well, but then Hollywood decided to certain liberties with the facts, and everything fell apart after that. For example, there was an event in this feud known as "The New Year Massacre" which involved a large number of Hatfields attacking one of the McCoy families at their home. Yet the only thing that comes close to this particular event has everything in reverse. At least, that is how it seemed to me. But where it really goes off the rails is toward the end where the two leading patriarchs from both families settle their differences one-on-one somewhere in a heavily wooded area near their homes. Complete and utter nonsense. But that's Hollywood for you. And the funny thing is, this rewriting of history wasn't even necessary because the actual story was probably more interesting in the first place. Oh well. In any case, having grown up in both Kentucky and West Virginia, I knew the actual story long before seeing this film--and I wasn't impressed with the Hollywood version at all. That being the case, I have rated the movie accordingly. Below average.

The Hatfields and the McCoys have a special meaning for me, in 1975 on Globo television had a session movie called "Premiere 75" on Saturday night every week, just for unseen movies, so l'd watched this movie in that time and l had beginning to like movies and the next year l had started my movie's book for first time ever, this week my brother gave this movie, but with another title in Brazil, in fact it had already release on VHS in the 90', at once I've recognized by the original title and spoke to him how and where l'd watched this picture, in the same night l re-watch it again, Jack Palance and Steve Forrest are great in this low budge TV production although the movie is too short to fit on so complex story like this, however l went to the past for 74 minutes !!!

As an actual descendant of the feud, this is really 70's Hollywood at its flimsiest. Trust me, after having my family's history portrayed in comic strips, cartoons, outdoor dramas, old films and so on, this one is probably the worst as it is trying to be considered somewhat accurate, rather than what it should be which is just sheer entertainment. At least they don't portray the families as being toothless, brainless hicks. If that's one thing positive I can say, it's that. The ending is even totally off. I would have to say that even if you have the chance to watch this for free on television, I would probably see if there is some re-run of Beavis and Butthead somewhere