Review of Blackthorn (2011) by Dan H — 18 Sep 2012
Well-crafted, beautifully shot piece of speculative fiction. Sam Shepard is perfect as a grizzled old Butch Cassidy, who (in this take on the legend) survived being massacred by the Bolivian army, quietly living out his days breeding horses on a small ranch in the Bolivian mountains.
He is drawn into one last adventure when he strikes up a mutually beneficial arrangement with a Spanish mining engineer, who he helps to retrieve a hidden stash of $50,000. The dialogue and relationship between the pair plays out in very entertaining fashion, slightly reminiscent of "Angel Eyes" and the "Ugly"; and like the best westerns, the line between good and bad is a hazy one, with things not always as they seem.
Shot entirely on location in Bolivia, the scenery is absolutely stunning, often like nothing you've ever seen before; and while the pacing is sometimes a little off, the meditative nature of the film allows time to savour every drop of atmosphere.
Not an action-packed western, but nonetheless top notch film-making.
This review of Blackthorn (2011) was written by Dan H on 18 Sep 2012.
Blackthorn has generally received positive reviews.
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