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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+

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.

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.

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 .

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.