Academy Awards, USA 1988
| Nominated Oscar | Best Cinematography Haskell Wexler |
Cinecom Pictures
Directed by John Sayles
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Seville Pictures)
Union organizer Chris Cooper arrives in a remote West Virginia coal mining town in the midst of a strike. His first task is to convince immigrant and African-American scab workers to join the cause, much to the dismay of the local union members. However, when threatened with violence by the coal company they decide to unite. The arrival of two company men intent on carrying out illegal evictions further escalates the tension in town. Cooper struggles to keep the Union members from succumbing to violence, especially when he is falsely accused of being a spy for the company and is almost killed. However, when the son of a miner is murdered, the miner's are set on revenge. Overplotted but realistic portrayal of the "Battle of Matewan", with standout performances by James Earl Jones as the leader of the African-American miners, Kevin Tighe as the company heavy and William Oldham as a teenage preacher. Cinematography by Haskell Wexler captures the dirty, gritty feel of a coal mining town in 1920.
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