Admirable film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Blistering performances.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I'll say right off, there may be some *SPOILERS* here and there in this review, so be warned.I am a bit surprised I hadn't remembered this film being released. For fans of Westerns (and Sam Shepard), as well as the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid", this film is for you.This film gives you the scenario- what if Butch & Sundance were not actually killed in Bolivia by the Bolivian army- as the original film ends, but instead got away, and leads you to an older Butch Cassidy (Shepard) living under the assumed name of "Blackthorne" around the turn of the century. The film brilliantly shoes little flashback sequences throughout of what happened after Butch & Sundance escaped, which lead up to the present day. "Blackthorne" meets up with a young gentleman Spaniard (Eduardo Noriego of "Abres Los Ojos") after his loot of cash, who seemingly becomes another Sundance Kid. But things aren't what they seem with this character, and eventually things go sour. An old lawman after the young Butch and Sundance- Stephen Rea- also shows up, and all hell breaks loose.Yet another great performance from all-around "Renaissance Man" Shepard, as well as great story and direction. Definite thumbs up!

Sam Shepard is as watchable as ever as the titular Blackthorn in this predominantly Spanish-produced Western that harks back to the latter days of the genre's golden period. But Blackthorn also rejoices in some of the fresh realism that has been a feature of the few successful Westerns since the likes of Robert Mitchum and the Duke himself hung up their spurs in the late 60's, with Kevin Costner and godfather of the modern western, Clint Eastwood, seemingly at the forefront of the drive to keep the genre alive. Shepard does hard-bitten outlaw as well as anyone, but it would be a lesser watch without the strong support of Eduardo Noriega (Vantage Point, The Devil's Backbone) and Stephen Rea (no reference required!), and the characters around them, including support from South American actors led by Peruvian actress Magaly Solier, which deserve much credit, and all enhance the production significantly. The flashbacks to more familiar past events are inevitable given the central conceit, and this is where the main scenes are in danger of being undermined. The scenes from the past, featuring Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau, Padraig Delaney and Dominique McElligott, seem to attempt the easy comedic camaraderie of the original Newman-Redford film, but fall a long way short. Still, the flashbacks are not long, and Shepard's performance relegates any concerns to the back of one's mind. Blackthorn is less po-faced and introspective than The Assassination of Jesse James, more expansive than Unforgiven and more challenging than Open Range. Not to be missed by genre fans, and deserving of attention from everyone.

The Legend of Butch Cassidy can be compared to that of Robin Hood. Steal from the rich, give to the poor. Butch Cassidy is closer to us in time than Robin Hood, his descendants are known to us and we do not live in a feudal but in a capitalist system, just like Butch. The legend Butch is real, whereas Robin is closer to King Arthur and Merlin.Blackthorn makes us sympathize with the figure of a hunted criminal, Butch Cassidy having survived the ambush, living in old age of his humble farm in Bolivia. The death of his and his deceased comrade's love draws him home to the United States. He says farewell to his Bolivian lover, takes all his booty money from the bank and gets back into the saddle for his last long ride. Before our hero crosses the Bolivian border, his plan is interrupted by another criminal, who is being hunted for stealing money from a Bolivian mine. He teams up with the young robber, seeing in him his younger self or rather his dead brother in arms: the Sundance Kid. All looks good, until the terrible truth comes out. The young robber stole from a collective of families that bought the run down mine for the people from the coorparation.Butch Cassidy never stole from the poor so the myth tells us, he fought the law, the system. In this story he is being confronted by a different kind of criminal. One that does not hesitate to exploit the trust and need of the poor to take what little they have.For this alone I would give the movie ten stars. It is not 50's Western it is not Italo, Action fans beware. This is thoughtful post- Unforgiven. Blackthorne has everything my beloved genre demands: great sorytelling, amazing photography of country, desperados, indians, colt revolvers, cartridges, liquor, smoking and riding. It even has chewing of coca leaves. A statement, knowing our drug war.Very good movie, even for people who do not like the genre.

Awesome lead performance, but we wouldn't suspect or expect anything else. But we also get one of the better known Spanish actors of the past 10 years in (if I'm not mistaken) his first English speaking role. He does a great job and can also be seen in one of the shorts that is on the DVD, also directed by the man responsible for this movie. The story is more than convincing too.One of the things that might not be your thing, is the morality tale in this. Apart from some minor story issues (Stephen Reas character for example, although he has the gravitas to pull it off), this is another showcase of why Western movies are entertaining to watch. There are a few factors playing into that of course and the "Genre" has changed a lot over the years. But like a good cowboy, it won't stay down