Released:
1987-08-28

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.

Director:
John Sayles

Runtime:
2h 12min

Genre:
Drama, History

• Cast:
• 
  Chris Cooper
  as
  Joe Kenehan
• 
  James Earl Jones
  as
  'Few Clothes' Johnson
• 
  Mary McDonnell
  as
  Elma Radnor
• 
  Will Oldham
  as
  Danny Radnor
• 
  David Strathairn
  as
  Police Chief Sid Hatfield