Movies Like Matewan (1987)

Matewan is a 1987 drama, history film from John Sayles with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Valley of Decision and The Molly Maguires.

Drama History

The Valley of Decision

1945

Mary Rafferty comes from a poor family of steel mill workers in 19th Century Pittsburgh. Her family objects when she goes to work as a maid for the wealthy Scott family which controls the mill. Mary catches the attention of handsome scion Paul Scott, but their romance is complicated by Paul's engagement to someone else and a bitter strike among the mill workers.

7.3

MagicScore

The Molly Maguires

1970

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 1876. A secret society of Irish coal miners, bond by a sacred oath, put pressure on the greedy and ruthless company they work for by sabotaging mining facilities in the hope of improving their working conditions and the lives of their families.

6.3

MagicScore

A Whole Life Ahead

2008

25-year-old philosophy major Marta faces the ugly truth for many young Italians — a complete lack of career opportunities. While babysitting for single mother Sonia, she starts to work as a telemarketer, experiencing first-hand the fanatical and exploitative rat-race culture pushed on employees while quickly rising through the ranks of the company. Around her revolve people like delusional supervisor Daniela, her womanizing boss Claudio, fragile coworker Lucio "2", and well-meaning but inconsistent union rep Giorgio.

6.6

MagicScore

Wrath of Silence

2018

Northern China, 2004. When miner Zhang Baomin returns to his home, a small and isolated mining village, his wife tells him that their son has mysteriously disappeared while shepherding his small flock.

7.1

MagicScore

How Green Was My Valley

1941

A man in his fifties reminisces about his childhood growing up in a Welsh mining village at the turn of the 20th century.

7.3

MagicScore

Strike

1925

Workers in a factory in pre-revolutionary Russia go on strike and are met by violent suppression.

7.3

MagicScore

Bread and Roses

2000

Maya is a quick-witted young woman who comes over the Mexican border without papers and makes her way to the LA home of her older sister Rosa. Rosa gets Maya a job as a janitor: a non-union janitorial service has the contract, the foul-mouthed supervisor can fire workers on a whim, and the service-workers' union has assigned organizer Sam Shapiro to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. Sam finds Maya a willing listener, she's also attracted to him. Rosa resists, she has an ailing husband to consider. The workers try for public support; management intimidates workers to divide and conquer. Rosa and Maya as well as workers and management may be set to collide.

6.3

MagicScore

Which Way Is Up?

1977

Orange picker Leroy Jones inadvertently becomes a union leader and is forced out of town, leaving behind his sex-obsessed father, Rufus, and timid spouse, Annie Mae. He heads for Los Angeles, where he falls for union organizer Vanetta. Annie Mae seeks solace from local preacher Lenox Thomas, who eventually impregnates her. When Leroy catches wind, he heads home for a showdown with Lenox.

6.0

MagicScore

Harlan County U.S.A.

1977

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television in 2004.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Pitfall

1962

A man wanders into a seemingly deserted town with his young son in search of work. But after a bit of bad luck, he joins the town's population of lost souls.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

Mine 9

2019

Two miles into the earth, nine Appalachian miners struggle to survive after a methane explosion leaves them with one hour of oxygen.

5.6

MagicScore

#12

The Great Silence

1968

A mute gunslinger fights in the defense of a group of outlaws and a vengeful young widow, against a group of ruthless bounty hunters.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

Killers of the Flower Moon

2023

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Rosewood

1997

Spurred by a white woman's lie, vigilantes destroy a black Florida town and slay inhabitants in 1923.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

Le Deuxième Souffle

1966

A gangster escapes jail and quickly makes plans to continue his criminal ways elsewhere, but a determined inspector is closing in.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

Man on Fire

2004

Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

Fresh

1994

Death and violence anger twelve year old drug courier Fresh, who sets his rival employers against each other.

7.2

MagicScore

#18

Mud

2013

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

The Crooked Way

1949

A war veteran suffering from amnesia, returns to Los Angeles from a San Francisco veterans hospital hoping to learn who he is and discovers his criminal past.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

1966

While the Civil War rages on between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hitman, and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.

8.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Matewan?

The top films similar to Matewan by MovieMagicScore are The Valley of Decision (7.3), The Molly Maguires (6.3), A Whole Life Ahead (6.6). Each shares drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Matewan worth watching?

Matewan holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 120 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Matewan?

Matewan (1987) is a drama, history film directed by John Sayles, starring Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell.

Where can I find more recommendations like Matewan?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Valley of Decision Movies like The Molly Maguires Movies like A Whole Life Ahead Movies like Wrath of Silence Movies like How Green Was My Valley Movies like Strike

About movies like Matewan

This ranked list pairs Matewan (1987), a drama and history film from John Sayles, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Chris Cooper take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Matewan