Joe Hill

PG

1971

1h 55m

Biography

List

50%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Joe Hill (Thommy Berggren) immigrates to America from Sweden in the early years of the 20th century. Although he secures a few jobs in his new homeland, the degrading working conditions astonish him. He becomes involved in the radical organization Industrial Workers of the World and goes on to write folk ballads championing the rights of the average worker. But in 1914 circumstantial evidence links him to a murder. Joe claims he is innocent, but the authorities think otherwise.

Vincent Canby

New York Times

The movie is so irresolute in making assumption about its hero, about his drives and his dreams, and especially about his guilt, that it is scarcely an appreciation of even the mythical Joe Hill.

Mar 11, 2020

Full Review

Margaret Hinxman

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Joe Hill is a dazzler to look at, yet ultimately horrifying.

Mar 11, 2020

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Widerberg doesn't take the Wobbly brand of anarcho-syndicalism, the "one big union" philosophy, at all seriously. It's not that he should; it's that the movie is lightweight because he doesn't.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 6, 2018

Full Review

Tony Palmer

The Spectator

Joseph Hillstom... the Swedish immigrant who became an American labour leader only to be framed and shot for his political involvement, has been lovingly brought back to life by Bo Widerberg.

Mar 11, 2020

Full Review

Antonio Lara

El Pais (Spain)

The movie's premiere is an opportune moment to contribute some historical facts about the working-class rebellion, as necessary today as they were yesterday. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 18, 2019

Full Review

TV Guide Staff

TV Guide

Politically simplistic and sentimental, Joe Hill never succeeds in evoking the tone of moral outrage that the film would have needed to really succeed.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jun 13, 2018

Full Review

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Audience Member

The story of Joe Hill, Swedish-American working class agitator.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Bo Widerberg

Director

Thommy Berggren

Joe Hill

Ania Schmidt

Lucia

Kelvin Malave

The Fox

Evert Anderson

Blackie

Cathy Smith

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Synopsis

Joe Hill (Thommy Berggren) immigrates to America from Sweden in the early years of the 20th century. Although he secures a few jobs in his new homeland, the degrading working conditions astonish him. He becomes involved in the radical organization Industrial Workers of the World and goes on to write folk ballads championing the rights of the average worker. But in 1914 circumstantial evidence links him to a murder. Joe claims he is innocent, but the authorities think otherwise.

Director: Bo Widerberg
Producer: Bo Widerberg
Production Co: Bo Widerberg Film, Sagittarius Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 55m