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74% Critic Match
Matewan
“It takes more than guns to kill a man.”
7.4 / 10• 1987• 2h 12m•PG-13• English
DramaHistory
Storyline
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.
Cast & Crew
Chris Cooper
Joe Kenehan
Lead
James Earl Jones
'Few Clothes' Johnson
Mary McDonnell
Elma Radnor
Will Oldham
Danny Radnor
David Strathairn
Police Chief Sid Hatfield
Ken Jenkins
Sephus Purcell
Kevin Tighe
Bill Hickey
Gordon Clapp
Tom Griggs
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. John Sayles's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Matewan is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
