Blackthorn

"No destiny"

2011 1h 38m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 298

AdventureActionWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“No destiny”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sam Shepard
James Blackthorn
Eduardo Noriega
Eduardo Apodaca
Stephen Rea
Mackinley
Magaly Solier
Yana
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Butch Cassidy
Pádraic Delaney
Sundance Kid
Dominique McElligott
Etta
Luis Bredow
Doctor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mateo Gil
Writers: Miguel Barros
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: Bolivia, France, Spain, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Bolivia, France, Spain, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mateo Gil, shot by Juan Ruiz Anchía. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lucio Godoy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Gallart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sam Shepard and Eduardo Noriega and Stephen Rea carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "No destiny".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mateo Gil directs. Juan Ruiz Anchía behind the camera. Lucio Godoy scores. David Gallart cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Bolivia, France, Spain, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 15 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3International production across 4 countries: Bolivia, France, Spain, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Mateo Gil, shot by Juan Ruiz Anchía. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lucio Godoy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David Gallart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Sam Shepard and Eduardo Noriega and Stephen Rea carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "No destiny".
9IMDB entry: tt1629705 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Juan Ruiz Anchía
Original score: Lucio Godoy
Editing: David Gallart
Production design: Juan Pedro de Gaspar
Costume design: Clara Bilbao
Makeup / hair: Belén López-Puigcerver
VFX supervisor: Jaime Cebrián
Sound: Fabiola Ordoyo
Stunt coordinator: Jordi Casares
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Box office: $987,883
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Blackthorn (2011)

Also by

Mateo Gil

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-04-27
★ 8.5/10
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 Gomez2016-01-26
★ 5/10
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.