In Bolivia, Butch Cassidy (now calling himself James Blackthorn) 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.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- James Blackthorn: Sam Shepard
- Ing. Eduardo Apodaca: Eduardo Noriega
- Mackinley: Stephen Rea
- Yana: Magaly Solier
- Young James: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
- Sundance Kid: Pádraic Delaney
- Etta: Dominique McElligott
- Doctor: Luis Bredow
- General of the Bolivian Army: Cristian Mercado
- Ivan: Daniel Aguirre
- Tabernera: María Luque
- Jefe Indígena: Raúl Beltrán
- Lugarteniente Indígena: Luis Aduviri
- Indígena Perseguidora 1: Claudia Coronel
- Indígena Perseguidora 2: Erika Andia
- Indígena Perseguidora 3: Shirley Torres
- Soldado Argentino 1: Jorge Hidalgo
- Soldado Argentino 2: Daniel Arce
- Director de Banco: Fernando Gamarra
- Cajero: Víctor Orihuela
- Hombre Anciano: Julio Mita
- Mujer Anciana: Delia Fabián
- Camarero: Fernando Pericón
- Soldado Boliviano: Marcos Soto
- Jefe de Estación: Fernando Peredo
- Cliente Taberna: Rodolfo Calaumana
- Cliente Taberna: Álex Terán
- Prostituta: Alice Guimares
- Prostituta: Karen Maysunga
- Prostituta: Paola Oña
- Prostituta: Tania Watoro
Film Crew:
- Director: Mateo Gil
- Writer: Miguel Barros
- Editor: David Gallart
- Costume Design: Clara Bilbao
- Script Supervisor: Núria Casanueva
- Set Decoration: Ángela Nahum
- Producer: Ibon Cormenzana
- Casting: Jina Jay
- Producer: Andrés Santana
- Art Direction: Juan Pedro de Gaspar
- Costume Supervisor: Pilar Groux
- Costume Supervisor: Regina Calvo
- Director of Photography: Juan Ruiz Anchía
- Original Music Composer: Lucio Godoy
- Visual Effects Supervisor: Jordi Costa
- Carpenter: César Mamani
- First Assistant Camera: José Ramón Delgado
- Sound Designer: Fabiola Ordoyo
- Casting: Ana Sanz
- Gaffer: Américo Luna
- Steadicam Operator: Rafael Sahade
- Makeup Designer: Ana López-Puigcerver
- Visual Effects Supervisor: Ignacio Lacosta
- Art Department Coordinator: César Morón
- Visual Effects Supervisor: Jaime Cebrián
- Foley: José Manuel Lara
- Hair Designer: Belén López-Puigcerver
- Property Master: Serapio Tola
- Dialogue Editor: Mafalda Alba
- Seamstress: Martha Cabrera
- Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Marc Orts
- Seamstress: Julia Tintaya
- Casting: Wendy Alcázar
- Construction Coordinator: Sergio Pol
- Dolby Consultant: Jaume Puig
- Foley Editor: Marc Bech
- Assistant Director: Guillermo Escribano
- Boom Operator: Manu Garcia-Escudero
- Production Coordinator: Patricia Puerto
- Tailor: Emiliano Machaca Osco
- Stunt Coordinator: Jordi Casares
- Stunt Double: Paula Monroy
- Executive Producer: Paolo Agazzi
- Executive Producer: Marina Fuentes Arredonda
- Executive Producer: James Atherton
- Executive Producer: Ángel Durández
- Executive Producer: Ignasi Estapé
- Delegated Producer: Julián García
- Delegated Producer: Alberto Moya
- Associate Producer: Julien Naveau
- Executive Producer: Jan Pace
- Executive Producer: Jérôme Vidal
Movie Reviews:
- John Chard: Ain’t no grave hold my body down.
- Blackthorn is directed by Mateo Gil and written by Miguel Barros. It stars Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Rea, Magaly Solier, Nikolaj Costsr-Waldau, Padraic Delaney and Dominique McElligott. Music is by Lucio Godoy and cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchia.
- It was believed that Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid both perished at the hands of the Bolivian army in 1908. Not so, for here is Butch Cassidy 20 years after the supposed event, alive and well and living in a secluded Bolivian village under the name James Blackthorn…
- What a lovely idea, that of one of history’s most famous outlaws actually living longer than history led us to believe. OK, it’s a scratchy premise but it allows for a quite elegiac film as we follow an older and grizzled Cassidy on another adventure. That adventure sees him team up with mischievous Spaniard Eduardo Apodaca, the latter of which tries to rob Blackthorn/Cassidy and then offers to repay the old outlaw with the proceeds from some hidden loot stashed away from a robbery. They set off and sure enough there is a posse on their tail, meaning the pair have to stay one step ahead of their pursuers, something which puts the twinkle back in Cassidy’s eyes. But not all is as it seems and with flash backs showing Butch and Sundance in their prime (Waldau as the young Cassidy is an inspired choice as per likeness to Shepard), aided by the feisty Etta Place, this is a fully rounded tale.
- The film quite simply is unhurried and respectful to the art of story telling and is rich with a lead characterisation of considerable substance (Shepard is wonderful, really gets to the soul of the character). Oh it is punctured by the odd action scene, even some humour is in the mix, there’s even time for machismo and romantic threads of worth, but this beats a melancholy heart and is All the better for it. It also happens to be one of the most gorgeously photographed Westerns of the modern era. Filmed primarily on location in Bolivia, the landscapes – be it the mountainous ranges or pin sharp salt flats – are sublime, God’s wonderful Earth in all its glory expertly realised by Anchia, marking this out as an absolute Blu-ray essential for Western fans big into location photography. While Godoy’s musical score is pitch perfect for the tonal flows in the narrative.
- There’s the odd cliché, Rea is a touch wasted and some may decry the simplicity of plot, but this is thoughtful and awash with the love of the Western genre. If only for Shepard and the photography then this is worth it for Western fans, as it is it also calls out to those who like some emotional reflection in their Oaters. 8/10
- Andres Gomez: Sam Shepard performs well, the idea of the story is interesting and the photography and staging in Bolivia are breathtaking.
- But the performance of the story into a movie is boring and it hurts to see such a good actor as Noriega playing such a bad role.
- Clearly, the direction failed to make a good set of individual promises into a better mix.