Matewan

One of the best cinematic experiences I've ever had and my introduction to Sayles. Seeing a young Will Oldham is really awesome and I think this is Cooper's debut. This is what filmmaking should be - poignant, well written, and real.

Deeply felt drama is so beautifully evocative of time and place, and powered by an A grade cast of character actors with no weak link in sight, that you can forgive most of its story-telling flaws, including a perhaps a surprising devolution to dogmatism in the view of both camps for the second half (or maybe that's the point?) A true ensemble piece, but it is Strathairn, Gunton and an especially odious Tighe who steal it; Cooper's debut also employs him as an effective audience surrogate.

Outstanding in all areas. Reminded me of Ford's (equally great) "How Green Was My Valley". Stellar story, direction and acting - and with a remarkable (cinematically heightened) realism.

Gripping story of a West Virginia mining union struggle in the 20's. There are some really villainous bastards in this movie. Excellent film all around.

I've had this in my queue for many years, but I would invariably choose to watch something else than an ensemble drama about miners. Go figure... Well, as it turns out, this is a thoroughly engaging ensemble drama about miners. With gangsters and a shoot-out.

I can't get behind it entirely, partly due to where this realism falters with its whole heroes and villains view of the world. Also I found the film to be very much surface. Over two hours of just repeating history without adding a whole lot to it doesn't make for the most interesting film.

Heroes and villains. See BLUE COLLAR instead.

My favorite John Sayles film (and I like every one I've seen). Will make you wonder for years just how many heroes there were whose names we'll never know (while nowadays of course everybody's heard of Paris Hilton)

An excellent film full of good actors. The story is eternally relevant, and Cooper's speech at the first meeting is truly rousing.

A very special film. Really quite moving.

Amazing look into Union struggles.

Viewed March 6, 2021.

I should watch some more John Sayles. This 'we shall overcome'-story is an acting gem and, interestingly, far from just a regular union drama with tensions rising between the striking miners and the mining company. The straightforward story plays more like grim and moving ballad of labor hardship with deep mythic undertones, as if written by Nick Cave. A teen Will Oldham is great in an early role as a young preacher.

can't tell if this movie was ideologically sucking me off, or if it was just an incredibly good movie. I'd like to think it was a mix of both. the one thing I didn't like though, is how it made the company men 100% evil, real pieces of shit, which was kind of cheap.

i usually don't picture a strike as a good premise for a movie, but this one was absolutely fantastic. the acting is perfect and the writing is as good as it gets.

Fine independent film about a legendary West Virginia coal mining strike. Chris Cooper and David Straithairn are very good in this.

They should be required to show this movie in history classes in school. Chris Cooper and James Earl Jones are both magnificent in this gripping tale of how the unions tried to help the coal miners of West Virginia.

Not quite as good as 'Piranha' (1978).

Matewan, a luta final estreava há 35 anos nos EUA. Mais uma obra-prima do Sayles, colocando a luta de classes num patamar estético sem igual, o abuso dos tons de verde transferindo esperança para os trabalhadores é tocante pelo otimismo especialmente num filme feito em plena era Reagan. BlurayRip no MakingOff.

Good Movie

Well played but very close to a pamphlet. You'll have to excuse the marxist cadence of the treatment of the big anti-union villains. Not that there aren't people like that, but still.

There are plenty of "company man versus union" plots in cinema, but none reach the emotional gravitas that Matewan does. More impressively, Salyes portrait of rural West Virginia is so beautifully remote and mysterious that it seems almost like a magical stand-in for any setting where men can battle for justice. The film is aggressively American, but without the nonsense that dominate our political landscape today. This is a masterpiece.

see also 'I Compagni'