Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

This is a serious film about morality and social injustice and perhaps not surprisingly it flopped at the American box office in the 1960's. Set in the Pennsylvanian coalfields of the 1870's it revolves around two characters:Jack Kehoe, the leader of the Molly Maguires,a secret society dedicated to violently fighting the enormous exploitation that was the lot of the miners working in the coalfield; and James McParlan,who as the undercover agent for the Pinkerton Detective agency is prepared to shed all common notions of human feeling and loyalty in pursuit of a "higher" justice and more obviously his own American Dream There is a strong cast including Frank Finlay and Samantha Eggar giving support to the two leading performances of Sean Connery and Richard Harris who is particularly successful at conveying some of the inner conflicts within his character's situation. However the real quality of the film lies in other directions.It deserves its Oscar nomination for art direction and the authenticity of the set placed in the almost abandoned Pennsylvania town of Ecksly is amazing.The pace of the film is more European than Hollywood and this is particularly evident in the strangely beautiful opening which with its well crafted choice of shots and sequences establishes the background of the drama. You may choose to side with the underdog refusing to be buried by the industrial machine or you may ultimately judge the Molly Maguires to to be violent thugs and murderers.However, the final shot of the film with the gallows rehearsal as McParlan finally turns his back on all that he has done leaves little doubt that the inner life of this man will have to pay a cost for the deaths he has brought about. I too enjoyed Henry Mancini's unobtrusive but effective score. This is an undervalued film that is at last like that other great flop, "Heaven's Gate",getting some of the attention it deserves.Indeed the beautifully filmed rugby match between the Welsh and Irish miners performs a similar function to the skating in "Heaven's Gate", reflecting something of the spirit and ethos of an immigrant community.Well worth a viewing. There is much to enjoy.

The first things that stand out to me in the positive about this film (as the title indicates) are the music and cinematography.The theme by Henry Mancini really does carry the film, and you'll find it playing back (pleasantly) in your head. This made a (for me personally) rather plodding plot more viewable. The music is excellent.The cinematography also is very good. This, combined with the music make for good art. Many shots linger and linger... in a day when watching a film may send a normal being into fits of convulsions from rapid cuts.. the shots here are deliberate and rich. The opening shot slowly and seamlessly takes you from the beauty of the morning sunrise into the gritty, dingy underground world of the coal mines.As for the plot -- what can I say? Can one argue the validity of historical drama? I suppose not. Rather than do that, I'll just say that the story itself suffered from the lack of a person with truly redeeming qualities. The characters seem to embody the environment in which they live -- grungy, filthy and tainted.I spent much of the film a bit confused about the environment, time, and place in which I had been thrust. The film supposes that you understand at least generally the dynamics between the mine management and its workers in the 19th century. I didn't, and it made it difficult to fully understand the motives of the characters involved.The story moves slowly, yet steadily towards its climax. Unfortunately, this is one of those films that leaves a big empty blank in my mind and heart after I've watched it. What am I to take away from this? It's not trying to "entertain" the audience... it's a drama with a message... but this is a film without a hero, a story without an end. Some people like a film that leaves you "hanging" at the end. I can't say as it worked for me this time.In summary, I enjoyed the music and cinematography, the acting was very good... but the story leaves you with a very empty feeling in your gut.

This film is a gem! The cinematography, costumes, sets, script, and acting are all excellent. The story is totally engaging. Some people might be turning off by the slow start, but it's the perfect set up to a brilliant piece of cinema. With all of that said, some people take this film as historical truth. That's where there are major gray areas.This film was based loosely on the accounts of one man, James McPharlan (Harris' character), and at that doesn't stick too close to his account of infiltrating an underground organization of Irish coal miners who were fronted by the Ancient Order of Hiberians. Hollywood, of course, sexed up the plot and stream lined it so that it would be easier to follow. Not surprising really. The realities of the situation in the Pennsylvania coal fields in the 1860's and 1870's and America in general following the Civil War were very complex. The film didn't have time to cover these details. Like so many historical topics it would take a mini series at least to cover it well.What this film does do very well is inspire one to study. It's an interesting and little known or understood part of American history. There are a lot of opinions on all sides of the situation that still stir people today. This was effectively the beginning of the labor movement in America. The course of action portrayed in this film led to the establishment of unions.I watched this movie many times as a child and still do today. It inspired me to read a lot about the Molly Maguires (if they really existed at all) and even go all the way across country (I'm from Seattle) to rural Pennsylvania to see the place for myself. That's what brilliant film making is all about. To inspire a person to understand the world around them more and hopefully take a closer look at it.Another thing that this film does brilliantly is it leaves the protagonist very open and allows the viewer to decide where, ultimately, their loyalties lay. Connery's character appeals to our sense of social justice. The little guy going against the big machine that oppresses him and all like him. Harris on the other hand is the man who goes against what he feels is right to do what is ultimately correct by catching, what are after all, a group of thugs and murderers (in reality McPharlan didn't have this complex clash of conscience. He thought they were all guilty scum who deserved to be hanged.). It's very Hollywood, but very effective.

Apparently the Molly Maguires were four guys infiltrated by Richard Harris. I once read that they were a large organization of terrorist miners all over eastern Pennsylvania in 1876-77.I don't know why Don Knotts was in thi8s film without a credit at the end. He played a Pinkerton detective and was surprisingly convincing for someone who usually plays a funnyman.They took a lot of liberties with the story but what else is new? The priest stole the movie with his sanctimonious lectures to the Maguires at every funeral. Why did they take chowderhead off the IMDb? He was my hero.Henry Mancini did the music and there's nothing like good music to dance to when people are dying in coal mining accidents. The Molly Maguires was an amazing mood piece for life in the coal mines in the 19th century but it did not do justice to the injustices that motivated the Molly Maguires to acts of protest. The Mollys were wrong but they were wronged to begin with and the movie does not show the grievances of the workers in any mature way.I liked the part when they tried to kill Harris with a pile of coal.