Matewan Page #5

Synopsis: Mingo County, West Virginia, 1920. Coal miners, struggling to form a union, are up against company operators and the gun thugs of the notorious Baldwin-Felts detective agency. Black and Italian miners, brought in by the company to break the strike, are caught between the two forces. UMWA organizer and dual-card Wobbly Joe Kenehan determines to bring the local, Black, and Italian groups together. While Kenehan and his story are fictional, the setting and the dramatic climax are historical; Sid Hatfield, Cabell C. Testerman, C. E. Lively and the Felts brothers were real-life participants, and 'Few Clothes' is based on a character active several years previously.
Genre: Drama, History
Director(s): John Sayles
Production: Cinecom Pictures
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.9
Rotten Tomatoes:
93%
PG-13
Year:
1987
135 min
2,253 Views


You just got guns is all.

You just thugs.

Yeah, maybe your right, sonny,

we just got guns.

You still got to

hand in them goods.

Yellow scab-herder, you!

You hurt?

You get up from there.

- You gotta list of goods?

Don't need one.

How you gonna know what belongs

to the company and what don't?

He's the red, Hickey.

He's the agitator.

Everybody you see

I don't got a gun on me.

What good do you think that's

going to do you, red?

You shoot me folks'll

know it was murder.

Well, that's some cold comfort.

Now you listen to me, red...

We was huntin'.

You folks are making

an awful lot of commotion.

You scaredt all the game away.

This your machine?

Heard it last night, too.

It's an offense to the ear.

Hold it pops,

you're talking to the law here.

He ask you anything?

Where did you get that thing, pal?

Spanish war?

Nope,

war between the states.

You all get in this machine and

get back into town where you belong.

Ain't but one law out here

and that's the law of nature.

Let's get the hell out of here.

Folks try and keep the

noise down you'll do fine.

Help yourself to the bird

and the rabbit.

You see any hogs they probably

ours. We'd appreciate it if

you'd leave them be.

Good day to you.

Are you okay, Joe?

Yeah, I'll be all right

if it weren't for my ribs.

Who were those people?

Rossums, mostly,

and a Shuttleworth.

They miners?

- You never find them folks

near a hole, They have most of

their land stole by the company.

They's hill people.

- Foothill people really your

genuine hill people.

They can be dangerous.

Now the thing you

gotta remember, son

is your fuse burns

1 foot per minute.

Make it too long,

they might see it.

Make it too short,

we'll all be meeting you

on the other side.

Damn it.

Air shaft #4

Go out the back way.

Where is all our other friends

tonight, Miss Elma?

They get tired

of the chuck or what?

I think that old bitty

went on strike,

laid down her teeth

and protested.

They're just particular about

who they eat with.

- What about you, Miss Elma?

Are you particular?

Stone Mountain didn't

hold the lease here you two...

Stone Mountain didn't hold lease

here you'd be peddling puntang

down in cinder bottom so just

shut your mouth about it.

Where's the little

preacher tonight?

B*tch got no table manners.

Elma?

You know where Danny is?

No. I don't know where anybody is.

Ain't nobody wants

to tell me either.

You okay?

- Yeah just tired is all.

I been working all day.

This place...

I been working

the day they burned my husband I

started and I been working and it...

It don't never stop.

I get so tired

and

there ain't nobody.

- Look it's hard.

It's hard being on your own.

You don't know nothing about it.

- We're in business buddy,

let's get going.

What is it?

- Sounds like dynamite

up at the mine.

Might be that #5 shaft.

Might be some shootin'.

- Hillard! Hillard!

- You seen my boy?

Anybody seen my boy, Hillard?

That'll be the Baldwins.

- Hillard!

Anybody seen my Hillard?

It's Baldwins up the hill!

Shoot low boys!

Cut 'em down!

You fellas get on out of here,

I'll hold 'em back.

Reese! Reese, get up!

Sephus, c'mon!

- Okay boys, let's spread out,

he's here somewhere.

- I got him. He's over here.

Hold it boys, it's me.

Hold your fire boys, it's C.E.

- You all right?

- You'd better get back to camp.

Judas.

- Hold his leg.

Hold it, hold, hold.

Now I'm just going to pull this

back from your leg, boy.

Gimme back that knife, Hillard.

- Hey, what happened?

We was sold.

Them Baldwins come up from behind.

Known right where

we was laying out.

- They know'd when the men

was out of camp today, too.

How's she feelin', buddy?

You made it.

I thought we lost you back there.

Well, I got off

a couple of rounds...

buried myself in the leaves.

Seen Reese Hadley go down, though.

Sephus get back?

I don't think so.

You see what happens

when you pick up a gun!

All I see is them n*ggers and

dagos weren't there tonight and

we was sold and

somebody gonna pay.

Something bad is

happening out there.

Those guns.

Hunting party, that's all.

Now, where was I?

"time to put all shyness"...

Time to put all shyness aside

and admit to our heartfelt

attraction

I'm not sure

how you spell "attraction".

How about,

"heartfelt desires"?

Are you sure you

want to do this?

heartfelt desires,

dearest

Joseph

- Look at that.

Just acovered with gore.

Dogs didn't do all that.

Are you drawing breath, son?

Baldwins, we were sold...

- What's your name?

Bosephus...

Sephus Purcell.

- Kin to Nimrod Purcell?

That's daddy's uncle.

Say some Baldwin agents took ya?

From behind.

- None of them Purcells

ever was too bright.

Grab his ankles missus

and mind your dress.

He's ableedin' like a stuck pig.

I found 'em boys, he's here.

- It's Reese.

Got yourself a martyr.

I tried to stop this.

See any sign of Sephus?

We'll maybe smell him

before we see him.

They found somebody?

Just stay right here, honey,

don't want to look at that mess.

But, I got somethin for Mr. Kenehan.

I don't think he's in no mood

to be bothered right now.

I'll see he gets it.

Who is it?

Oh, just some poor miner

whose troubles is finally over.

Don't look, honey.

I talked to Ellix. He says

your phonograph machine

is going to be fixed

in a couple days now.

It's awful nice of

you to do, Everett.

Well, we got to take care of our

favorite lady now, don't we?

You been so generous...

thinking about me when that

Mr. Kenehan got you all so busy

with the union.

That Mr. Kenehan is what I come

to talk to you about, Bridey.

I got a suspicion he might

not be what he says he is.

What do you mean?

Bridey,

Did you send Kenehan

some sort of letter?

What do you want?

No.

He wouldn't.

There's a whole crowd of fellas

standing around him, I seen

Kenehan laughing

and waving that letter.

So, I

come over to see

what was so funny.

A lot of fellers?

You mind if i have

another drink, honey?

It ain't pretty what I gotta say.

He said some things, Bridey...

"She been following me around

ever since I got here.

"Trailing after me

like a dog in heat.

"Sniffing around my legs

like a brood b*tch.

"She don't wear no drawers",

he says, "so she can be ready for

whatever stumbles down the pathway."

He didn't!

He didn't!

He said you done it

with one of the coloreds.

Lying bastard!

Bridey,

I think it might be

worse than that.

I think he might be a spy

in with the coal operators.

Well, he's got the fellas so

turned around with all his talk...

I need for you to help me, Bridey,

and sometimes you gotta tell

a little bit of a lie

just to get the truth across.

We fight them with guns

we lose.

That's the whole damn story.

I'm not going to bullshit you

fellas and tell you there won't

ever come a time when

the people that own this state

send the word down to

have us all murdered.

But, if we don't

stand together now

as workers, we got no hope at all.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

John Sayles

John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Passion Fish (1992) and Lone Star (1996). His film Men with Guns (1997) has been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. His directorial debut, Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980), has been added to the National Film Registry. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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