Film
Matewan
Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line.
Overview
Filmed in the coal country of West Virginia, "Matewan" celebrates labor organizing in the context of a 1920s work stoppage. Union organizer, Joe Kenehan, a scab named "Few Clothes" Johnson and a sympathetic mayor and police chief heroically fight the power represented by a coal company and Matewan's vested interests so that justice and workers' rights need not take a back seat to squalid working conditions, exploitation and the bottom line.
Cast
- Chris CooperJoe Kenehan
- James Earl Jones'Few Clothes' Johnson
- Mary McDonnellElma Radnor
- Will OldhamDanny Radnor
- David StrathairnPolice Chief Sid Hatfield
- Ken JenkinsSephus Purcell
- Kevin TigheBill Hickey
- Gordon ClappTom Griggs
