Matewan

Independent filmmaker John Sayles creates one of his more artistic works with this period feature about a volatile 1920s labor dispute in the town of Matewan, West Virginia. Matewan is a coal town where the local miners' lives are controlled by the powerful Stone Mountain Coal Company. The company ...more

Writer-director John Sayles specializes in recasting American history through the eyes of overlooked working-class heroes, and his story of striking West Virginia coal miners in the 1920s is one of his most polished and accessible achievements. Based on a bloody battle in the town of Matewan, the film examines labor unions from a critical perspective, shedding light on racial and cultural attitudes that hampered the movement. James Earl Jones gives a powerful, minimalist performance as the ...more