Matewan (1987)

EnglishFilm1987132 minDrama, History★ 7.4/10

It takes more than guns to kill a man.

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.

Directed by

John Sayles

Starring

Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell

Music

Mason Daring

Released

1987-08-28

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