Johnson County War (TV Mini Series 2002– )

Johnson County War (TV Mini Series 2002– ). 4h | TV-14

“I enjoyed the movie for its entertainment value. But a movie titled The Johnson County War should endeavor to tell the story of its namesake. Especially since it is not a well known event and viewers are likely to accept the movie as historically accurate.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe basics are intact. The cattle barons declared war on the small ranchers over the issue of open range. The small ranchers were liberally declared rustlers in order to justify prosecuting them with extreme prejudice. A small army of mercenaries was hired to do the dirty work. Those familiar with the history of the Johnson County War know that a rancher named Nate Champion stood off the mercenary army in his cabin for a considerable length of time.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie takes that event and fictionalizes it with Tom Berengeru0026#39;s Cain Hammett making that stand instead of Nate Champion. The details of that fight are fairly accurate. But Berengeru0026#39;s character is fictitious, with subplots about brothers and spouses. It is not Nate Champion by another name. So it makes little sense to me to make a movie about a historical event and pretend that it happened to someone different. Kind of like Custeru0026#39;s Last Stand with some fictitious guy named Clyde Smith as the leader of the Cavalry instead of Custer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie makes for a good western. But Nate Championu0026#39;s story is entertaining in itself. Christopher Walken portrayed him in Heavenu0026#39;s Gate, which is also about the Johnson County War. But in that movie, director Michael Cimino took the names of Jim Averill and Ella Watson, two small ranchers hanged early in the dispute, and assigned them to the Marshall portrayed by Kris Kristofferson and the prostitute portrayed by Isabelle Huppert.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Johnson County War is a little known and interesting part of American history. Too bad that movie makers play so fast and loose with the facts.”