Strike is Sergei Eisenstein’s first feature, which premiered in 1925 to mixed reactions. It was followed later that year with the acclaimed Potemkin. In this film, a strike, at first peaceful, is triggered by the suicide of a factory worker, but Russian Cossacks come to settle issues and slaughter workers. Eisenstein, who acknowledged his debt to D.W. Griffith, used rapid cutting to create his own extraordinary pacing and rhythm. His powerful and shocking use of images revealed the horrific impact of the Cossack massacre. As with A Corner in Wheat, the capitalists show neither concern nor mercy for those who do the work.