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Man of Iron is a 1981 drama directed by Andrzej Wajda, set in Poland during the period of martial law declared in the country in 1981. The film is a sequel to Wajda's earlier work, Man of Marble, and continues the story of the young journalist, Agnieszka, who is now investigating the Gdańsk shipyard strikes of 1980. The lead character of the film is a worker named Maciej Tomczyk, played by Jerzy Radziwilowicz. Maciej is a former Solidarity activist who has been in hiding since the imposition of martial law, but is now forced to come out of hiding when he is identified as the father of Agnieszka's unborn child by the secret police. Maciej is initially reluctant to speak to Agnieszka, feeling that past experience has shown him that journalists only use people for their own ends. However, he eventually agrees to talk to her, hoping that his story will help the union movement.

Maciej's story is told through a series of flashbacks, in which we see him as a young idealistic worker and activist. He is inspired by the charismatic leader of the union movement, Anna Walentynowicz, played by Krystyna Janda. Anna has been working in the Gdańsk shipyard for many years, and has become a symbol of worker resistance. Maciej becomes her protégé, and together they lead a strike in which the workers demand better working conditions and the right to form an independent union.

The flashback sequences are intercut with footage of the real-life events of the Gdańsk shipyard strikes, including the famous scenes in which Lech Wałęsa, the leader of the Solidarity movement, climbs over the shipyard gate to address the crowd of workers outside. The film was made at a time when such footage was still being suppressed in Poland, and its use in the film was a powerful reminder of the stakes involved in the struggle for workers' rights.

The main conflict of the film arises from Maciej's relationship with Anna, who is depicted as a flawed but charismatic leader. Maciej is initially in awe of Anna, but gradually comes to see her as a flawed human being who is capable of making mistakes. As the strike unfolds, Maciej becomes increasingly disillusioned with the limits of the union movement, and starts to feel that the workers are being used as pawns by the political elites.

The film's climax comes with the imposition of martial law, which is shown through a harrowing depiction of the violence and chaos that erupts as the army and police crackdown on the protesters. Maciej is arrested and imprisoned, and the film ends with a shot of him looking through the bars of his cell at a group of workers being herded onto a truck.

Man of Iron won the Palme d'Or at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, and was widely regarded as a powerful and important work of political cinema. Its depiction of the workers' struggle against a repressive regime was seen as a powerful statement of resistance, and its use of documentary footage was praised for its ability to show the reality of events that were still being suppressed or distorted by the authorities.

Overall, Man of Iron is a powerful and important film that remains relevant today as a reminder of the struggles of workers and activists against oppressive regimes. Its depiction of the limits and pitfalls of political movements, as well as its exploration of the complex personality of its central leader, Anna Walentynowicz, make it a compelling and thought-provoking work of cinema.