Watch Harlan County War For Free

The Worst Film Ever

From my favorite movies..

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I'll keep this short. Martin Ritt's "Norma Rae" was a more original, less stereotyped study of exploited Appalachian workers and their tribulations, and so was Barbara Koppel's documentary of this confrontation between union organizers and the evil company they labor for.The acting isn't bad. Holly Hunter is good, as she usually is, and Stellan Skarsgard is fine as always. He's a remarkably relaxed performer, whether the role calls for villainy ("Ronin") or sympathetic understanding, as in "Good Will Hunting". Hunter's Southern accent may sound overdrawn to some, but thirty-five years ago I imagine it fit the template well enough.It's the story that sags. There are good people and evil people and none of them are particularly complex. That's more or less how Koppel's documentary rolled along too, but it's nevertheless not how life on the ground is structured. The conventions followed here are those of a soap opera, except that instead of a deceitful and vicious husband, we have a nefarious corporation.It doesn't matter that the film was shot in Canada. That has little to do with its quality. I only wish the script had given the audience a bit more to chew on, just a little food for thought, a ham hock or two, rather than Pablum.

Pretty ironic that a supposedly pro-union Kentucky story was filmed in Canada, isn't it? Meanwhile LA filming crews go jobless.The original documentary is a better, more compelling film - because it's "real" and you're in the trenches with the camera, however I still found Holly Hunter's performance to be remarkable. This suffers from the usual TV drama problems; from the very first scene they're begging for the viewer's pity, and we learn that Hunter's character is a strong woman, but we never learn how the fight is really won. The power struggles with her husband are hinted at, but never fleshed out and developed or resolved. If you're a fan of Hunter's you might enjoy her performance, but otherwise skip it. Put the effort into finding the original documentary, "Harlan County, USA." Or else watch the news.

Big management grinds poor workers with boot heel followed by rebellion and unionization. There's nothing new in Showtime's telling of this old story about hollow dwelling coal miners in Harlan County, KY. Nonetheless, Hunter bails out this well made but potentially monotonous film with her powerful performance as a spunky and dauntless coal miner's wife. A must see for Hunter fans.

Harlan County Kentucky is a beautiful place not Vancouver in Canada were the movie was filmed.The people of Harlan County Kentucky do not talk like Granny of the Beverly Hillbillies as Holly Hunter did.Why were the people of Harlan County Kentucky left out of this movie.The coalminers strike in Harlan County Kentucky was alot more than what this movie portrayed.I was embarrassed for the maker of this movie.