Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

alexanderdavies-99382 "The Molly Maguires" wasn't received with much enthusiasm when it went out on release in 1970. Director Martin Ritt claimed the film damaged his professional reputation and Sean Connery was confirmed as being box office poison. This isn't the most glamorous or flamboyant of films but it isn't meant to be. Anyone expecting any of that is bound to be disappointed. This movie sets out to present an example of how life tended to be back in the 1870s and it succeeds remarkably. In addition, "The Molly Maguires" is based upon real people and real incidents at a small mining community in the United States. Richard Harris and Sean Connery complement each other to perfection. They are both well cast as typically rugged, tough characters and their many scenes together ignite the film. According to various reports, both actors got on very well and I think this shows in the final results. The supporting cast is a bit of a mixture: Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay and Anthony Zerbe amongst others. You don't come across a cast like that too often! The viewer is spared nothing when it comes to the lengths that the miners are willing to go to in order to resist and to defy the horrendous working conditions to which they are subjected. Sean Connery offers another example of how he is worth FAR more than just playing Bond. He has some brilliant dialogue to get his acting teeth into as do the rest of the cast. He plays the leader of the said secret society with power and with depth. Connery knows he needs to employ rather harsh tactics in order to make his point. However, it doesn't necessarily mean he enjoys using them. Richard Harris gives a good performance as the undercover police officer whose job it is to infiltrate the secret society. Before long, he will become embroiled within his own personal conflict. The location that was chosen for the film, works most effectively. Observing the place that was used, I could actually envision there being a mining community from all those years before. The direction from Martin Ritt is assured and imaginative. He allows time for a few quite hard-edged moments and a film like "The Molly Maguires" needs them. One of my favourite scenes, is the rugby match. No CGI rubbish in those days as real human beings take the blows and the punishment. Hard-hitting in the literal sense. This movie didn't deserve to flop at the box office.

courtjes Having grown up in the Anthracite Coal Region and lived in Hazleton, PA during the time of the filming, the Molly Maguires fascinated me but I never saw the movie until recently. The accents and mumbling made the dialogue almost impossible to understand and many moviegoers where complaining as they left the theater where the movie was brought back for a theater anniversary promotion. The characters were never developed and the movie lacksd emotionalism.

barrwell While reading some reviews here one reviewer pointed out that "this is a film that wouldn't be made today". How sad yet true a statement indeed! This film is rich in history and politics, two subjects that (seemingly) don't interest todays movie-going public. What does it say about a culture when the people have become so detached to their own history?The Molly Maguires was filmed at the very beginning of what I think is the greatest American movie decade ever, and I'm not alone in that opinion as the most recent (2007) AFI list of the top 100 films of all time contains more from the 70s than any other single decade (19!). As if hungover from the 60s, this post-revolutionary period gave birth to many great young directors making films that had an independent and political feel...this was the end of the old "studio system" of Hollywood, and was the beginning of the new independent film movement in America that still exists to this day.This film really succeeds in capturing the atmosphere of a bygone era. This is one of those movies that you just relax (maybe on a rainy afternoon) and let wash over you...appreciate the cinematography (notice the excellent tracking shot of the miners walking out of the mine after planting the explosives near the beginning) and fine acting by all involved. When I was done watching this I wanted to know more about the Molly Maguires. Is that a complaint? Actually I think its a compliment. A good story should leave you wanting to know more about the subject matter.Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery) is the leader of a secret cult of Irish coalminers in 1870s Pennsylvania, James Mckenna (Richard Harris) is an undercover detective sent in to capture the secret cult known as the Molly Maguires, who has lost a strike and begun committing acts of sabotage and murder against the Mining company. This film is rich in period detail and quite engrossing, this is the kind of film you want to watch again and see what dialog you might have missed as the Irish dialects are rather thick. This is also a violent film, but the violence is raw and sudden...believable, not stylishly choreographed and seemingly pandering to the audience like in todays movies. The early days of the American labor movement were quite violent indeed, whether our public schools teach it or not.Mckenna is a very ambitious man and makes its clear to us early on that he will do whatever he has to for career advancement. As he says..."I'm tired of being on the bottom looking up all the time, I want to look down". However, as he gets inside the miners and develops a bond with Kehoe, we see that despite his personal motives, he has actually started to care about these miners. In a poignant scene when the Molly Maguires are bent on desperate retaliation, Kehoe fervently tries to talk them out of it and he's serious (as he admits later to his handler), and we in the audience can tell. But the Molly Maguires are destined for self-destruction. Not even an (unknown to them) enemy can dissuade them from their fate. So this isn't a feel good type of movie. The conclusion doesn't necessarily leave a good taste and might not be that pat ending that modern movie-goers are used to seeing. This is the essence of real history however, the labor struggles in America seldom had a happy ending, and though at times it seemed like labor eventually won, here lately it sure doesn't look that way. Things aren't quite as clear as we like... the line between the good and the bad is often quite fuzzy. The Molly MaGuires is a perfect example of this....it is also a great example of beautiful filmmaking. This may not quite be an American classic, but its real close.One last thing...I really got some great insight reading the other reviews here on this film, they were very interesting, thanks.

T Y This movie is worth a viewing. From the first silent sequence it will strike you as something different. It has conscience and honest intent but these can't overcome very "Hollywood" dramatic scenes. For all its effort at 'depth,' it's rather light. If these characters weren't brawling about labor, they'd be brawling over their sister's honor, or something else. It's very modern, in that it lets you view the machinery and practices of an industry, because yep, that is pretty interesting. Technique IS compelling. But structurally the movie spins its wheels. I like Connery and he looks great here, but the role really needs less star power. He has comparatively little to do. Harris can be easily deleted from anything he was in.The constructed setting for the movie may remind you of the small, new town in McCabe and Mrs. Miller.