Matewan

Name: Matewan
Director: John Sayles
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

Directed by John Sayles

Drama

History

19872h 12m7.4

Overview

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.