The People Behind Hatfields and McCoys

This Memorial Day I am ridiculously excited for one event more than any other. Its not Men in Black 3, although I will be watching it. It is a 3 night mini-series on the History Channel featuring Kevin Costner as the patriarch of Clan Hatfield and Bill Paxton as the head of Clan McCoy. I love westerns. I love anything involving the time just after the Civil War. I love watching rednecks kill each other.

I have a soft spot for Kevin Costner movies. Field of Dreams, Tin Cup, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves are all wonderful movies. And he has had his fair share of crap. Swing Vote tested my patience and strained intelligence and may have been used to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. The Postman was far too long to be enjoyable on bad movie nights. And Waterworld was fucking terrible. But at least it was perversely entertaining.

Bill Paxton has been out of movies for quite a while. He has spent the last seemingly 20 years making the sometimes watchable Big Love on HBO. But he used to be the go-to guy for James Cameron's good movies. He's the guy who said "Game Over, Man! Game Over!" He chased and then ran away from tornadoes in Twister. And while he was in Thunderbirds and some more forgettable stuff, he has never committed an unforgiveable celluloid sin.

Kevin Reynolds directed the mini-series. Reynolds directed Red Dawn! He also directed Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Then he did Waterworld. He fought with Costner through both films and then swore off making movies with Costner forever. That lasted 17 years.

Paxton is finally off Big Love and ready to make good things again. Costner is starring in Superman and directed and starred in Open Range which was a great movie and beautifully shot. Its Wyatt Earp of Wyatt Earp against Morgan Earp of Tombstone. The story of the family feud feels like Shakespeare. 2 feuding families. Star crossed lovers from these families. Hatfields kill McCoys and then McCoys kill Hatfields. The movie features Tom Berenger (Major League, Platoon) and Powers Boothe (Red Dawn, Tombstone). Gunfights, horses, rednecks, forbidden love, and more gunfights make this a must watch event. Hatfields and McCoys debuts on The History Channel Monday at 9:00pm Eastern and airs at 9pm Tuesday for Part 2 and 9pm Wednesday for Part 3.