DramaHistory

Matewan

Name: Matewan
Genre: Drama, History
Released: 1987-08-28
Duration: 2 h 12 min
Rating: 7.4
Cast: Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham, David Strathairn

"It takes more than guns to kill a man."

7.419872h 12mReleased

Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line.

Director: John Sayles

Watch Now