Matewan

1987, History/Drama, 2h 12m

34 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings

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Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

Awesome!

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

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Matewan Photos

James Earl Jones ("Few Clothes") in a scene from MATEWAN directed by John Sayles.

Chris Cooper ("Joe") in a scene from MATEWAN directed by John Sayles.

Josh Mostel ("Cabell") in a scene from MATEWAN directed by John Sayles.

David Strathairn ("Sid") in a scene from MATEWAN directed by John Sayles.

View All Photos (11)

Movie Info

Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper), a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson (James Earl Jones) 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.

Rating:

PG-13
Genre:

History, Drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

John Sayles
Producer:

Peggy Rajski, Maggie Renzi
Writer:

John Sayles
Release Date (Theaters):

Aug 28, 1987 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA):

$23.9K
Runtime:

2h 12m
Sound Mix:

Stereo

Cast & Crew

Chris Cooper
Joe Kenehan

Will Oldham
Danny Radnor

James Earl Jones
'Few Clothes' Johnson

Mary McDonnell
Elma Radnor

Bob Gunton
C.E. Lively

Kevin Tighe
Hickey

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Matewan

All Critics (34) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (2)

Full Review… Richard Corliss TIME Magazine

Full Review… Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader

Full Review… Jay Carr Boston Globe

Full Review… Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune

Full Review… Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times

Full Review… Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel

Full Review… Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review

Full Review… Piers Marchant Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Full Review… David Harris Spectrum Culture

Full Review… Matt Brunson Film Frenzy

Full Review… Cathy Burke United Press International

Full Review… Candice Russell South Florida Sun-Sentinel

View All Critic Reviews (34)

Audience Reviews for Matewan

Feb 04, 2020

Sayles strikes the right balance of realism and hope here. Per usual he assembles one hell of a cast.

Alec B Super Reviewer
Oct 25, 2009

Caught this on late night cable. Fantastic film on all levels. It looks great and has some amazing performances. It is everything that I love about John Sayles. It seems like every movie he makes is a social studies project (not that it's always a good thing) and you always learn about something from his films. I didn't know anything about this event and it made it more riveting. Bob Gunton, Chris Cooper (in his film debut), and James Earl Jones are brilliant.

Tim S Super Reviewer
Feb 22, 2008

Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones and Mary McDonnell each do a good job in this John Sayles piece on the growth of the labor union into the West Virginia coal mines of the 1920's. But, I may have set my expectations for the film a bit too high. Maybe it was meant as a warm-up for Sayles, David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe, Jace Alexander and Gordon Clapp prior to their collaboration of the following year...Eight Men Out.

Moe E Super Reviewer
Jun 29, 2007

An amazingly authentic film with great performances, photography and production design. Sayles work here is stellar, can't wait to read the book.

Ken S Super Reviewer