ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Spikeopath In 1969, Joseph 'Jock' Yablonski (Charles Bronson) is finally tipped over the edge when a coal mine disaster is brushed over by the corrupt United Coal Miners Union he firmly believed in. Deciding to run against head man Tony Boyle (Wilford Brimley) for president of the Union, Yablonski soon becomes the target of a sinister murder plot.It's a TV movie so it hardly has the production value to really do this "based on a true story" movie complete justice. However, with Bronson and Brimley giving very committed performances, and who in turn are backed up by the excellent Ellen Burstyn as Yablonski's loyal wife, there's humanistic qualities here that make this more than a time filler.The murky political intrigue ticks away nicely, the characterisations of the assassins is afforded relative time, and the culmination of the picture strikes both the heart and the head. Yes it is hardly high end film making, and those turned off by dialogue heavy political posturing should probably stay away, but this is a story well worth knowing.It got me to read up on the Boyle/Yablonski case, such was the interest born out by this HBO production. Proof positive that TV movies once had something viable to offer the mature film watching public. 7/10

Arlis Fuson This is based on real events and follows the story of the union for coal miners and the politics, greed, and dishonesty involved. When a mine explodes in West Virginia and many miners are killed the president of the union goes down and makes a speech about how it wasn't the unions fault. One of his men gets fed up with his lack of humanity for the miners and he runs against him for president so he can once again give the union back to the workers. The president of course is crooked and hires a young man to kill him. The young man hires a couple of thugs and goes out to complete his mission, and the politics of the game all come back and catch up with these crooks in the end.I really love Charles Bronson and had never seen this movie before. It is a different style of acting for Bronson and there is no gun in his hand. He is actually a sweet innocent man in this film. This movie had a great story based on real events. It is hard to pull such a movie off and most times they are never perfect to watch. You cant really add juicy events that didn't happen and you can never tell the whole story and do it justice. This story and the truths behind these events are great and this movie couldn't pack in all the details into a feature film. They did a great job none the less.I must say I loved the cast which featured heavyweights Bronson, Wilford Brimley (playing a bad guy - the crooked union president), Ellen Burnstyn as Bronsons wife and Hoyt Anxton and Ellen Barkin playing smaller roles and also a very young Keanu Reeves in one of his earliest roles, perhaps his first I am not sure.I hated the song the movie started out with, that was one of the worst things, and I admit it was hard to accept the ending, even though it was based on real events, it still wasn't the ending I wanted. It was one of those movies that spends the last five minutes making you read what happened to everyone, and you kind of wanted to see some of it happen.I liked the film quite a bit, its a good little drama...I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

WarpedRecord I'm a big Ellen Burstyn fan, so I'll see anything with her. But I didn't have high expectations for this based on the title (sounds like a Steven Seagal actioner) and the cover artwork (looks like a pulpy B-movie, with Ellen's mug thrown in as an afterthought).Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised. Ellen was excellent as always, but Charles Bronson was also terrific, as was a young Keanu (spelled Keannu in the credits) Reeves. But the real revelation here is Wilford Brimley as the union boss. What a great bad-ass! For those used to seeing Wilford harp about cholesterol and diabetes, check this one out. You'll realize how much he's wasting his talent by doing those commercials.This is a moving human drama with fine performances, captivating direction and a compelling, if occasionally clichéd, script. It's an act of triumph. Eight out of 10 stars.

dtucker86 What a wonderful surprise, Charles Bronsonn actually acts a little in this fine HBO film as union rebel Jock Yablonski whose wish to change the UMW cost him his life. Ellen Burstyn is wonderful as his doomed wife and Wilford Brimley is sinister as corrupt union President Tony Boyle. The guys who killed Yablonski and his family were first class idiots who were immediately arrested. They were the dumbest assassins you can imagine.