1987 · 132 min · Drama, History
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, Will Oldham and David Strathairn.
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