Blackthorn

Released in 2011, "Blackthorn" is the unofficial sequel to the 1969 Western hit "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." It took 42 years, but it was worth it.

THE PLOT: Almost 20 years after Butch Cassidy was supposedly shot-down in Bolivia he is shown alive and well, living in a ranch house in the mountains under the name James Blackthorn. He has a "nephew" (or, more likely, a son) in the USA and decides to take his stolen loot, retire there, and live happily ever after. Unfortunately for him, a young outlaw (Eduardo Noriega) puts the kibosh on his plans, but they eventually team-up, perhaps because the dude reminds him of his younger days or of his deceased best friend, the Sundance Kid.

Another reviewer pointed out that Butch Cassidy is essentially regarded as a real-life Western Robin Hood. Yes, he was an outlaw, but he stole from the rich (the banks, trains and such) and gave to… well, himself. Okay, so he wasn't exactly Robin Hood, but people give him a pass because he fought the system and won, at least until his reported death at the age of 42 in 1908. But there are theories and support for the idea that he didn't die and this movie explores this possibility.

The reason I bring up the whole Robin Hood ethic -- i.e. steal from the rich, etc. -- is that the movie illustrates that, outlaw though he may have been, even Butch Cassidy had an intrinsic moral code that he followed. Those who broke that code were not worthy of his time, respect or compassion. Period.

Another reviewer seemed to read too much into this element and interpreted the movie as a Socialist vehicle with didactic politics: The idea that being singularly rich is intrinsically evil and therefore those less fortunate are morally justified in demanding (i.e. stealing) their wealth. But I don't think the filmmakers necessarily support this view any more than the makers of the original movie did in 1969. It's basically just Butch's personal justification for his lifestyle. He's a thug who unsurprisingly made excuses for his foolish way of life and he keeps payin' the price: Everyone around him dies prematurely, he's left alone & weary, and his stolen loot seems to keep falling through his fingers, one way or another. Yeah, Karma's a real biyatch.

When my wife or I watch Westerns we always ask each other: "Was it as good as Dances With Wolves"? The inevitable answer is always, "No, but…" Of course, few Westerns are as good as "Dances With Wolves"; it's the "but" that will determine if the movie is worth seeing. In the case of "Blackthorn," this is definitely watchable for a number of reasons, including the intriguing ideas noted above. It's just a solid modern Western with many of the requisite staples that mark the genre, such as excellent landscape cinematography (in this case Bolivia, shot on location), a quality modern Western score, shoot-outs, brooding outlaws, saloons, booze, posses, mines, escapes, beautiful women, Pinkertons, Natives, cowboys, horses and locomotives. Speaking of posses, the posse-pursuit in this film is at least twice as long as the elongated posse sequence in the original movie, and probably longer.

"Blackthorn" borrows from Westerns like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (naturally), "The Shootist" (1976), "Unforgiven" (1992) and the more modern "Seraphim Falls" (2006). The association with the first film is obvious. It's reminiscent of "The Shootist" and "Unforgiven" in that the story involves an aged and meditative outlaw who doesn't have much further to go. It brings to mind "Seraphim Falls" (and Jack Nicholson's "The Shooting" from 1966) with its long, surreal chase scenes in the desert. The modern gloss also brings to mind "Seraphim." Lastly, the basic tone is akin to "The Long Riders" (1980). What makes "Blackthorn" unique is its setting in Bolivia; and, to a lesser degree, the time period, 1927.

FINAL SAY: I suppose you could say that this is a character study and Sam Shepherd is excellent as Butch Cassidy. Like "Unforgiven," it's a brooding, elegiac Western focusing on less-than-respectable characters with flashes of Western-styled violence. It also has something interesting to say, although it's nothing enlightening or deep.

The film runs 98 minutes.

GRADE: B+

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.

Blackthorn (Dir. Mateo Gil, 2012) is what I'd like to describe as a "real western". It is full of shootouts, lost treasures and cinematic vistas. I have always been a western fan and whenever a new western is made I make a huge effort to catch it on release. Unfortunately Blackthorn isn't on in many cinemas and so many of you will have to wait for it on DVD/Blu-ray at the beginning of June.

Blackthorn is centred on a retired Butch Cassidy, who now goes by the name James Blackthorn after he and the Sundance Kid narrowly escaped death in Bolivia. One of the only downsides about this film is the fact that Paul Newman died four years before its creation and therefore couldn't revive his role as Butch Cassidy. But Sam Shepard embraces the role of Butch Cassidy and provides a strong and driven protagonist for the film. The character Eduardo Apodaca (Eduardo Noriega) puts it best when he says "you're a damn legend". As that is what Butch Cassidy is, a legend, and it was only a matter of time before cinema decided to embrace his presence once again for another fantastic western.

Both Shepard and Noriega are implausible in their roles, complimented with a sturdy performance of a washed up pinkerton by Stephen Rea. But an actor who hasn't had nearly enough recognition within cinema is Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau, who a lot of you will recognise from the popular television series, Game of Thrones (2011). His presence in Blackthorn not only reinforces the film, as he plays a young Butch Cassidy, but he also bears great similarity to Shepard conveniently. Through the use of flashbacks we see how Butch ends up in Bolivia and how his partner Sundance is no longer with him. These flashbacks also aid in fortifying the attachment the audience has with the protagonist, James Blackthorn.

Everyone will notice when watching Blackthorn that it fantastically utilises on-location shooting. The open vistas, forested valleys and Bolivian villages create a strong sense of verisimilitude while also making it very clear how much bigger the world is than the two protagonists. Another thing this film explores is how to cope with old age. As it is clear that perhaps Butch has lived such an exciting life and longs to return to it before he eventually dies. But after experiencing this freedom will he yearn for a quieter life with his long-lost "nephew"?

This film is full of everything I look for when watching a western. The only problem I had with it was its length; it almost feels like three, thirty minute long episodes that have been pasted together to create a movie. After the first thirty minutes the narrative has progressed a great deal, there has even been an acoustic cover by Shepard of "Sam Hall". The flashback scenes in Blackthorn are imperative to the plot, as they hold the film together and without them the film would have a much less gripping story.

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Great outdoor cinematography highlight this darn good Western. The story of an aging outlaw returning home is engaging and the morality tale is delivered decisively. It has a number of dramatic details that make it believable (taking a slice of meat off the dead horse and roasting it on the campfire).

In all the expanse of the Bolivian landscape the humanity and characterizations are not lost and we care about Butch Cassidy, his lady love, and even the ex-Pinkerton who discovers, then assists our anti-hero on his way to settle the score.

All the elements of classic Westerns are at work here and the pace is methodical and maintained for a rhythmic ride. The gun-play is realistic and never stylized and the result is a new Western with an old West feel.

I grew up watching westerns, and Butch and Sundance must be up there with my favorite bank robbers. I still love a good western but Hollywood seems to be to busy with re-makes of all kinds, vampires that live in sun light type films, over done special effects galore films, and cheap ass horror film after cheap ass horror film. So I was happy to see this film coming out, good cast, great story, and fantastic scenery to boot! I am not to sure about the stories take on Butch, but besides that I really enjoyed it, the scenery was fantastically caught on film, the story moves at a nice pace, and at times really hit a nerve with me about life, friends that have come and gone, and growing old, and looking back at what we might have done different.

Anyway I enjoyed this film, not a Oscar winner, but well worth it, solid acting by all actors, I gave it a 7.5 out of 10