'Hatfields and McCoys': It's a bland feud

& McCoys"

This six-hour miniseries -- shot entirely in Romania -- begins at the end of the Civil War, with Anse Hatfield (Costner) fighting shoulder to shoulder with Randall McCoy (Paxton) at the Battle of Devil's Backbone in Arkansas. McCoy saves the life of Hatfield, who later sees a boy die before his very eyes. He deserts, while McCoy spends the rest of the war in a Union prison camp. Bad blood is born.

After the war, Jim Vance (Tom Berenger), uncle of Anse, kills a McCoy family member. The feud begins. Randall's hog is maybe stolen. It gets worse. His daughter, Roseanna (Lindsay Pulsipher), falls in love with Anse's son Johnse (Matt Barr). Worse still. Then, three McCoy boys kill Anse's brother. Now it's war. Also starring Mare Winningham as Sally, wife of Randall, and Sarah Parish as Levicy, spouse of Anse. Both are long-suffering.

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Unfortunately, this famous old feud was an insignificant burp in American history. It bore little relevance to the catastrophe that preceded it, and has no modern-day relevance. That's a whole lot of irrelevance to fill six hours.