FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Steineded How sad is this?

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

carolina torres In my opinion, Matewan didn't look great. It was based during the 1920 in the life of coal workers in West Virginia going on strike. It was straight forward. The cinematography was amazing for an indie film. I was surprised in some scenes but most of it was a blur. The main characters were cynical men who hated there lives. There is no justice for the black men that are coming from Alabama to work in the coal mines out or work and no way to support there family they travel to west Virginia to work in the coal mine. The white men form the coal mines in West Virginia onto accept these black men.This happens the same in the mountains of Chiapas for the indigenous people and the Mexican government not acknowledging them part of the people. They are angry because there is no work and for a black man to get a job and cut there hours sound ridiculous for them. The movie was boring and a blur there were moments where the Man sticks up for him self in the cabins sticking up for his rights that he deserves the same amount of money as they do because he works as hard as they do. The scene of the black man for me represents how this issue relates to my project and the injustice some face. The unions is a way to unite all races blacks, whites, and Italian coal miners, this what Danny i explain to them.

agruebele This was a great movie, and quite fun to watch. At times it was emotional, but accurately portrayed some of the struggles of the early 1900's. Sidhatfield had one of my favorite quotes of all time: "I've met Mr. Felts. I wouldn't pee on him if his heart was on fire." You won't be sorry if you watch this. It is one of the best movies of the 80's and probably more than that. The director did a terrific job, as did the script writer. Enjoy!My review for the teachers of US History courses: The film Matewan exemplifies the dynamics between the corporate capitalist class of super rich company owners, and the lower class of workers. Matewan quite accurately shows all the different types of characters and groups that played in such conflicts during the late 19th century to early 20th. Such conflicts erupted due to the different (actually, the opposite) interests of the corporate capitalists and the lower classes. While the movie is slightly biased in favor of the mistreated strikers (as is natural), it portrays an accurate picture of the events that occurred in Matewan as well as other mining towns in the early 1900's of West Virginia. The movie does a great job at depicting the suffering and courage on the part of the workers, as well as the brutality of the Baldwin-Felts Pinkertons, and the mine owners.

Hollywood_Yoda The story goes that in the early part of the twentieth century that coal mine owners were pretty much enslaving their workers. By making the miners work for the company, live in a company owned home and by not paying those cash, but instead making them buy their goods at the company store on company credit was like slavery. The workers are fed up in the story, and like any battle, there are two sides. One side is pro union, which the mine owners believe these are the "Reds" or communist, and the other sides of the battle are those that don't want the union; mostly these are the "bad guys" who own the mines (and most of the town). In today's world, we still see injustice arising like those of early twentieth century America, but in third world countries such as those in Africa.The best part of the film was the ending when the union workers and the mine owners face off in a confrontational shootout in the streets of town. It was beautifully shot with great scenery and suspense. Just at the drop of a hat, the town was forever changed. The sheriff, played by David Straithairn comes off almost cocky in his favor of the townspeople over the arrogance of the mine owner's thugs. It is good to see the law taking the side of the oppressed and not the oppressor.The two thugs sent by the mine owners were very much flat characters, drawn out and overused, even stereotypical at times. Forcing their way into the home of the woman and her son, and displacing the union organizer, they were rude and chauvinist too. Pulling a gun on a boy at the dinner table though, how immature. So I was especially grateful that they were on the losing side, much where John Sayles would like us to see them, which is probably why they were so flat and stereotypical.

donbogosian In the movie Matewan about a coal mining strike of the 1920's, the steam engine shown was actually built in the 1940's and was shown traveling along welded rail which was not introduced until the 1970's. Despite this technical inaccuracy it is still an excellent film, well acted and written, and worth the viewers' time.I realize that at the time the movie was made the active rail lines in West Virginia were welded and not jointed, so perhaps to keep the overall location accurate,( Matewan is in Kentucky, right across the ridge from West Virginia), they had to use jointed rail.The engine in the movie was a more modern steam engine but very few working engines exist from the 1920's. And yes, I am a trainspotter.