Blackthorn - La vera storia di Butch Cassidy

This Spanish picture is an enjoyable drama Western with an interesting characterizing about the celebrated leader of the ¨Wild Bunch gang¨ of train robbers , Butch Cassidy who along with Sundance Kid were one of the last old-style bandits of the West and they had the quick wit and strength of character to dominate more desperate men . In Bolivia, Butch Cassidy who left long time ago his criminal activity and now calling himself James Blackthorne (Sam Shepard) , pines for one last sight of home , an adventure that aligns him with a young robber (Eduardo Noriega) and makes the duo a target for gangs and lawmen alike . It's narrated by means of a relentless pursuit by a posse which leads to the two protagonists through wonderful Bolivian landscapes . Furthermore , it deals with young Butch Cassidy (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau as James joven) , Sundance Kid (Padraic Delaney) and Etta Place (Dominique McElligott) , whose scenes are developed in flashbacks , both of them when the Pinkerton and railroad agents (Stephen Rea) hot on their trail , the Wild Bunch broke up and both sailed to South America after the turn of century and disappeared there , possibly dying in a shoot-out in 1909 near La Paz , though the story here narrated is quite different .

The film contains human drama , thrills , violence , riding pursuits and action Western complemented with moving tension and intrigue , including some twists and turns . These elements provide the setting for this piece of dramatic Western , giving it its own special quality and ambient . Butch is described as a tired veteran though a crack shot, he never murdered anybody and disliked gratuitous violence , he only wishes returning to US and know his son . Top-notch acting by Sam Shepard as the old bandit who becomes drawn into a spiraling tangle of danger , deceit and confusion . Acceptable interpretation by Eduardo Noriega as a young mine engineer who holds a dark secret . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia who has been making a prestigious career in Hollywood , such as Close range , House of game and River runs black , here he shows splendidly the wonderful outdoors filmed on location in La Paz , Potosí , Uyuni, Bolivia . Sensitive as well as thrilling musical score by Lucio Godoy .

This exciting motion picture was well directed by Mateo Gil . Mateo is a notorious screenwriter , he wrote various films for Amenabar as ¨Agora¨ , ¨Mar Adentro¨ , ¨Abre Los Ojos¨ and ¨Tesis¨ . He only has directed ¨Nobody knows anybody¨ or ¨Nadie Conoce Nadie¨ and recently this Western titled ¨Blackthorn¨ . Rating : Above average movie for its intrigue , memorable performance , plot twits , atmospheric mood piece and impressive photography . Well worth watching .

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.

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.

http://dalelawsonreviews.tumblr.com/

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.

Glad to see they can still make nice westerns like this one. The whole movie is beautifully shot with amazing nature scenery. It's the story about an aged Butch Cassidy that goes by the name James Blackthorn now and that lives a retired life somewhere in Bolivia. He was supposed to be dead, killed with his comrade the Sundance Kid. So the story goes back an forth between the young Cassidy and the old Blackthorn, but it stays mainly focused on Blackthorn. In the flashbacks Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau and Padraic Delaney play Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But the star of this movie is Sam Shepard. He is cut for this role and puts down a very good performance playing Blackthorn. The richness of this movie are the stunning locations and if you are a nature lover for this alone it is already worth a watch.