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.

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Plot Keywords:

butch cassidy | bolivia | wounded | robbery | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Sam Shepard is Butch Cassidy

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Genres:

Western

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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.

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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.

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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

An Unusual Western Set in Beautiful Bolivia

An aging Butch Cassidy (Sam Shepard), now calling himself Blackthorn and living a quiet life in 1920s Bolivia, learns that Etta Place has died in San Francisco, living her young son behind, to whom Butch has long been writing in the guise of "Uncle Butch." He decides to travel back to the States to see his "nephew," and sets off with the blessings of his indigenous girlfriend Yana (Magaly Solier). Early on, however, he comes across Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega), a young Spanish man on the run from a posse after he stole a lot of money from an evil mine-owner. Eduardo's horse is dead and he is lost, and he begs Blackthorn to help him; somewhat against his will, Blackthorn does so, and they set off on a last grand adventure, together. But Eduardo isn't all that he seems, and in addition to the posse, an old broken-down Pinkerton man, Mackinley (Stephen Rea), is also aware that Butch Cassidy didn't die all those years ago....

I'm not big on Westerns usually, but this is an exception. Beautifully filmed on location in Bolivia, and employing numerous indigenous actors, we are also treated to flashback scenes of a younger Butch (played as a young man by Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau, who looks very much like a younger Sam Shepard), his friend the Sundance Kid (Padraic Delaney) and their mutual love Etta Place (Dominique McElligot), which deepen and enrich the larger story. I'm not sure why this screened at FantAsia, as it's not really genre, but perhaps it's because the director, Mateo Gil (making his English-language debut here), is known for earlier Spanish thrillers that were screened in earlier years. In any event, I'm very glad that I saw this unusual Western, which I believe will get a regular release later this year.