Written and directed by John Sayles, this wrenching historical drama recounts the true story of a West Virginia coal town where the local miners' struggle to form a union rose to the pitch of all-out war in 1920. When Matewan's miners go on strike, organizer Joe Kenehan (Chris Cooper, in his film debut) arrives to help them, uniting workers white and black, Appalachia-born and immigrant, while urging patience in the face of the coal company's violent provocations. With a crackerjack ensemble cast-including James Earl Jones, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, and Will Oldham-and Oscar-nominated cinematography by Haskell Wexler, Matewan taps into a rich vein of Americana with painstaking attention to local texture, issuing an impassioned cry for justice that still resounds today.
- Region Code:
- Region B
- Duration:
- 133 minutes
- Extras:
- Language(s): English, Hard of Hearing Subtitles: English, Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1:1.85, Mono, Bonus Footage, Documentaries: 'Company Man: Remembering 'Matewan'', 'Union Dues: Producing 'Matewan'', 'Gathering Storm: Composing 'Matewan'', 'Fire in the Hole: Designing 'Matewan'', Reversible sleeve, Trailers