Blackthorn (2011)

In Bolivia, Butch Cassidy (now calling himself James Blackthorne) pines for one last sight of home, an adventure that aligns him with a young robber and makes the duo a target for gangs and lawmen alike.

Director:

Mateo Gil

Writer:

Miguel Barros (scriptwriter)

Stars:

Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea

6 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Shepard	...	James
Eduardo Noriega	...	Ing. Eduardo Apodaca
Stephen Rea	...	Mackinley
Magaly Solier	...	Yana
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	James Joven
Padraic Delaney	...	Sundance
Dominique McElligott	...	Etta
Luis Bredow	...	Doctor
Cristian Mercado	...	General of the Bolivian Army
Daniel Aguirre	...	Iván
Martin Proctor	...	Caballero inglés
María Luque	...	Tabernera
Raúl Beltrán	...	Jefe indígena
Luis Aduviri	...	Lugarteniente indígena
Claudia Coronel	...	Indígena perseguidora 1

Storyline

In Bolivia, Butch Cassidy (now calling himself James Blackthorne) pines for one last sight of home, an adventure that aligns him with a young robber and makes the duo a target for gangs and lawmen alike.

---

Plot Keywords:

butch cassidy | bolivia | wounded | robbery | revenge | 

---

Taglines:

Sam Shepard is Butch Cassidy

---

Genres:

Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Spain USA Bolivia France

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1 July 2011 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Blackthorn. Sin destino

Filming Locations:

La Paz, Bolivia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$15,254 (USA) (7 October 2011)

Gross:

$199,652 (USA) (27 January 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ariane Mararía Films, Arcadia Motion Pictures, Quickfire Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the very beginning of the film there is text reading "Butch Cassidy was ONE THE MOST wanted outlaws in America..." The OF that should be included in the sentence is curiously missing.

---

Quotes

James Blackthorn aka Butch Cassidy: There are only two significant events in a man's life: when you leave home and when you go back. Everything else is just the middle.

---

Soundtracks

"Take Your Burden to the Lord"
Popular
Arranged by David Gwyn (as David Gwynn)
Guitar by David Gwyn (as David Gwynn) and Sam Shepard
Performed by Sam Shepard

User Reviews

European Western, not Spaghetti Western

Blackthorn is an estimable contribution to Western movies. Contrary to the American style, here the epic it's illustrated in a less gimmicky way. There's not apotheosis at the endings of the sequences with a high emotional music theme. Poetry it's in the words, the silences, the landscapes and the development of the characters. Apparently it's a traditional story about compensation with the past, but there's much more. An a-la-Hawks representation of male friendship, a social message, a nostalgic review of classic Western and two little twists in the story that avoid a possible predictable ending. Very interesting it's the Mateo Gil's choice, in opposition to the Roy Hill movie, to show Bolivia as a wide open country. While Roy Hill, in the 1969 movie, shoot the South American scenes in a cloistered vision -to give them a claustrophobic value that works as allegory of the characters mood- in contrast with the North American scenes, Gil hasn't renegade to shoot the desert, the wide plains and even the canyons from Bolivia brought out by the brilliant cinematography of Ruíz Anchía. Perhaps there're a couple of moments that the narrative pace goes down in contemplative scenes, but overall the rhythm and the story will keep your attention. Great works of Sam Shephard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea and Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau. You would like Blackthorn if you like Unforgiven, Appaloosa, Open Range or, of course, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but not if your taste it's nearest to The Quick and the Dead, Young Guns I or II, or Cowboys & Aliens.