The Pleasant Valley War

We have all heard about the Hatfields and McCoys and the Gunfight at the OK corral. So how do we not know about the deadliest blood feud in American History?! The Pleasant Valley War lasted nearly 10 years and best estimates are that nearly 50 people perished....yet the story has come close to being lost from history.

John Marrs and Travis Mills have written and produced a film that works to rectify this oversite. Part documentary/ part drama, PVW is a powerful telling of best friends turned deadly enemies. Though complex, the story moves quickly and is easy to follow and strong acting in main roles brings the men to life.

This is a very nice addition to Travis Mills' collection of work!

After watching this on August 27th and having a few days to reflect on the experience: The Pleasant Valley War was told as a documentary but reminded me of sitting around a social gathering of those passionate about the history of the area. The actors not only portray the events but become those larger than life characters of the wild west.

The mix of the modern day world with the respect of the historical events is outstanding. Having that connection to the past being able to walk the same streets, see where those events took place and where the movie was filmed. It is an experience of stepping back into the past.

I highly recommend this movie, if you are not familiar with the history to become familiar with it. Then I suggest you re-watch it and fall in love with it over again.

This movie documents a piece of Arizona history in an entertaining way that keeps the audience engaged in the historical timeline of the conflict. The directing and editing were excellent and the musical score fit the intended feel of the movie. I would recommend it to anyone interested in western history or just looking for something other than the plethora of CGI laden far-fetched action films out there.

It's stunning that so many people on both sides perished in this senseless feud. Mills brings this compelling story and fascinating characters to life, infusing a feature film with documentary-style narrative with panache and expertise. The cinematography is top-notch and the music sets a somber mood reflecting the events of this inexplicable tragedy...

Truly one of the worst things I've ever seen. So bad I couldn't turn it off - I had to see it all the way through. None of these guys should ever appear in front of a camera. Ever. Not as an "actor" or as a "historian" explaining something. My wife laughed harder than I've ever witnessed when they had a "shootout" with cars driving by, air conditioning unit in the background, modern chain link fences...and these guys are running around all of this with their old timey outfits and wigs. They took a fascinating story and made it almost incomprehensible. The most interesting parts were mentioned in passing or explained in a roundabout way that sucked all of the life out of the story. Just shockingly bad.