History Film / Matewan

The year is 1921, and trouble is brewing in the town of Matewan, West Virginia: the workers have organized a labor union and walked out of the mine. Enter Joe Kenyan (Cooper), a former Wobbly (member of the [[DirtyCommies Industrial Workers of the World]]) and current union organizer for the United Mine Workers of West Virginia is riding a train when a group of miners attacks the black scabs on board. Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency men are called in to battle the union workers, and the stage is set for a bloodbath.

* TheSheriff: Sid Hatfield was one BadAss sheriff who stood up for his townspeople, even against "some big people" with a lot of money and power-and guns. This made him the exception, since most law enforcement went along with the companies, even deputizing people like the Pinkertons or Baldwin-Felts.

A 1987 drama film based on real-life events, written and directed by John Sayles and starring Chris Cooper and Creator/JamesEarlJones.

The year is 1921, and trouble is brewing in the town of Matewan, West Virginia: the workers have organized a labor union and walked out of the mine. Enter Joe Kenehan, a former Wobbly (member of the [[DirtyCommies Industrial Workers of the World]]) and current union organizer for the United Mine Workers of West Virginia is riding a train when a group of miners attacks the black scabs on board. Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency men are called in to battle the union workers, and the stage is set for a bloodbath.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* MountainMan: The bearded, burly hill folk who only once come off of the high mountains to chase the Company men away because their cars "make too much noise". When asked how old their rifles are, they say "[[TheAmericanCivilWar War between the states]]". The movie is set in ''1920''.

* MountainMan: The bearded, burly hill folk who only once come off of the high mountains to chase the Company men away because their cars "make too much noise". When asked how old their rifles are, they say "[[TheAmericanCivil War between the states]]". The movie is set in ''1920''.

* MessianicArchetype: Joe Kenehan. He's a charismatic organizer who's also an Actual Pacifist, his first action when coming into town is to heal someone [[spoiler: and he dies at the end]].

* MountainMan: The bearded, burly Hill Folk who only once come off of the high mountains to chase the Company men away because their cars "make too much noise". When asked how old their rifles are, they say "[[TheAmericanCivil War war between the states]]". The movie is set in ''1920''.

* MultiTaskedConversation: Danny (a teenager active in union organizing) is doing some lay preaching in the local church. He knows that the coal company has [[spoiler: framed Joe, the main activist, for being a company plant, playing on a woman's jealous desire for him as part of the framing.]] The company-enforcer thugs have told Danny not to say anything about the plot, or political at all, while he's preaching. So he tells the congregation the story of how Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph and failed, and she tried to frame him out of jealousy, to get his point across.

* TheSheriff: Sid Hatfield was one BadAss sheriff who stood up for his townspeople, even against "some big people" with a lot of money and power--and guns. This made him the exception, since most law enforcement went along with the companies, even deputizing people like the Pinkertons or Baldwin-Felts.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* CorruptHick: {{Subverted}}. A tribe of hill people appear out of nowhere, with strange accents, thick beards, and huge guns...and then save the strike camp from a company massacre, drive off the Baldwin-Felts agents, politely inform the strikers that they're welcome to stay on their land and hunt their game as long as they keep the noise level down, and vanish into the forest.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* NarratorAllAlong: [[spoiler: Danny Radnor, just coming of age in the movie]] but narrating as an old man years later.

--> '''Sid Hatfield''': ''*turns to large assembled crowd*'' All of you men got guns? Good. Go home and get 'em. You're all deputized as of now.

* AgainstMyReligion: The Hutterite conscientious objectors in Fort Leavenworth military prison were imprisoned there because they were religious pacifists who refused to fight, and then tore the buttons off the prison uniforms they were made to wear, since these were also forbidden to them, causing [[ColdBloodedTorture brutal punishment]] from the guards.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish-Kenehan calls them Mennonites mistakenly) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was, along with bearing arms, against their religion. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it made the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing wounds, then eventually gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they were there because they ''refused'' to use violence.

* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was also against their religion, along with bearing arms. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it make the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they refused to use guns.

* CompanyTown: The town of Matewan, as were many towns in the region at that time. The coal mine employed most working people, who lived in company-owned houses, the miners were paid in company scrip instead of dollars, and the scrip could only be used in stores owned by the company. For added fun, [[ObviouslyEvil the store prices were set by the company, and the cost of the workers' tools and clothing were deducted from their pay, and if anyone quit or was fired, every last thing purchased at the company store was legally forfeit and could be confiscated by the company]]. It was effectively slavery.
* CorruptHick: Subverted. A tribe of hill people appear out of nowhere, with strange accents, thick beards, and huge guns...and then save the strike camp from a company massacre, drive off the Baldwin-Felts agents, politely inform the strikers that they're welcome to stay on their land and hunt their game as long as they keep the noise level down, and vanish into the forest.

* DuetBonding: Or quartet bonding, rather - there's a rather heartwarming scene where the local, Italian, and black strikers at camp spontaneously play music together. An Italian begins strumming his lute, and gradually three other strikers around the camp pick up the tune with violin, guitar, and harmonica.

* GloryHound: They aren't explicitly named in the film, but the two Baldwin-Felts bigshots who arrive near the end of the movie to take command of the operation just happen to be two of the ''founding members of the company'', the men it was named after in the first place. In RealLife, they came to Matewan hoping to take credit for the biggest and most successful union-busting operation in American history. Both of them were shot dead in the ensuing battle.

* InsultBackfire: Griggs, one of the Baldwin-Felts agents, at one point derisively asks a hillbilly if his musket is a relic from the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar. The hillbilly smiles, points the gun at Griggs's face, and proudly replies, "[[FunetikAksent Nawp]]. [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar War Between the States]]."

** Also when Hickey, one of the Baldwin-Felts agents, describes how coldly and methodically he killed Germans in WorldWarI in order to scare the young Danny Radnor. Although this killing wasn't done in a particularly "badass" (brave) fashion, it was done in a rather [[SociopathicSoldier scary, psychopathic manner]].
* BadassPacifist: Kenehan mentions encountering these while he was in Fort Leavenworth military prison during WorldWarOne, after he sees Few Clothes carrying a gun. They were Hutterite (similar to the Amish) conscientious objectors and refused to cut their beards or wear clothes with buttons when they got into prison, as this was also against their religion, along with bearing arms. The guards punished them by handcuffing them to the cell bars for eight hours a day, but even though it make the cuffs cut into their wrists, causing gangrene, they never broke, and kept tearing off the buttons with their teeth. He says he's never seen any braver men, and they refused to use guns.

* InsultBackfire: Griggs, one of the Baldwin-Felts agents, at one point derisively asks a hillbilly if his musket is a relic from the SpanishAmericanWar. The hillbilly smiles, points the gun at Griggs's face, and proudly replies, "[[FunetikAksent Nawp]]. [[AmericanCivilWar War Between the States]]."

* FeudingFamilies: Although not mentioned in the movie itself, Sid Hatfield was from the Hatfield family of the notorious Hatfield-McCoy feud.

* PapaBear: Sid Hatfield is this when it comes to his townspeople.

* CompanyTown: The town of Matewan, as were many towns in the region at that time. The coal mine employed most working people, who lived in company-owned houses, the miners were paid in company scrip instead of dollars, and the scrip could only be used in stores owned by the company. For added fun, [[ObviouslyEvil the store prices were set by the company, and the cost of the workers' tools and clothing were deducted from their pay, and if anyone quit or was fired, every last thing purchased at the company store was legally forfeit and could be confiscated by the company]].

* CompanyTown: The town of Matewan, as were many towns in the region at that time. The coal mine employed most working people, who lived in company-owned houses, the miners were paid in company scrip instead of dollars, and the scrip could only be used in stores owned by the company.