To my recollection, this is the only Civil War movie I've seen to deal with the friction between Northern Union citizens with opposite views of the conflict. 'Copperheads' were Northerners who didn't support Abraham Lincoln's view of going to war to free the slaves. Technically, they WERE opposed to slavery, but were against war for any reason, while upholding a state's right to determine it's status for themselves. Additionally, the Copperheads felt that using force to prevent Southern states from seceding was unconstitutional. It seems kind of conflicted to me, since the idea of states seceding itself sounds unconstitutional, so I had to bring my focus back to those ideas whenever Abner Beech (Billy Campbell) found himself in opposition to his neighbors. Considering this is nominally a Civil War era movie, there's really no battle action at all, the story revolves primarily around the tension between neighbors with a sub-plot involving a romance between Abner Beech's son, Thomas Jefferson (Casey Thomas Brown),and Esther Hagadorn (Lucy Boynton),daughter of the town's firebrand abolitionist leader and supporter of Lincoln's policies. For a brief period, Tom goes missing following the battle of Antietam, having joined the Northern cause in opposition to his father. As the citizens anxiously await word on the fate of other boys who joined the War, Esther agonizes over her fiance's fate, while attempting to reconcile her position with the Beech family as well as her own father. The tenor of the story gives it a Hallmark, made for TV film, with the attendant focus on family values and trying to do the right thing. The film's resolution offers the feel good sensation that comes with Esther's brother Ni (Augustus Prew) admonishing the town folk from the pulpit for their bitterness toward each other. It all ties together rather neatly, except for the fact that at that point in time, the War still had two more years to go, with the same tensions that would have to be dealt with once this story was over.

Copperhead (2013): Dir: Ron Maxwell / Cast: Billy Campbell, Angus Macfadyen, Casey Thomas Brown, Lucy Boynton, Peter Fonda: Disappointing Civil War drama about how we label those whom do not share our views. It regards a feud between two families. We have a farmer, played by Billy Campbell who has two sons although one is all but neglected while the other disappoints him when he begins dating the daughter of his rival. It also doesn't help matter when this son rebels and heads off to fight in the war. Angus Macfadyen plays the rival, a preachy type who operates a factory that makes barrels. Casey Thomas Brown plays the older son of Campbell whose views differ from his father's, and Lucy Boynton plays his love interest whose father disapproves. This all sounds good accept that when a film is advertized as a Civil War film it should deliver something that resembles a war film. What director Ron Maxwell presents is a corny drama with lame romantic elements that have all the appeal of a bad TV movie. Maxwell previously made Gettysburg and Little Darlings and here he combines elements of both and fails miserably. The acting is atrocious with lines bellowed out like an attention yearning stage play. Even a veteran actor like Peter Fonda got sucked into this charade with little to do. The screenplay works, for the most part, up until the corny ending where everyone comes together with a lesson learned. The only lesson learned is viewers attended a film themed with "love thy neighbor" while wondering when the actual Civil War footage would emerge. Score: 4 / 10

Copperhead gives a look into the life of a small town in the North during the time of the civil war. The town is bitterly divided into political parties, the Republicans who are pro-war and the Democrats, or Copperheads, who are Northerners against the war. In a Romeo and Juliet inspired scenario, the daughter of a Republican falls in love with the son of a Democrat. To gain the blessing of her father, the boy goes off to fight in the war, against the will of his own father. Though the story is historical fiction, many aspects of the time and of the war are portrayed accurately, with an abundance of historical details. Whether you're a history lover, a student, or just bored, you'll love this romantic yet heart-wrenching film.