“Butch
Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
were reportedly killed in a shootout
with the Bolivian military in 1908; but
the smart, well-cast and gritty Western Blackthorn envisages how it would be
if Butch had survived, living peacefully
on a small Bolivian ranch, until an
unlucky incident puts him back on the
wrong side of the law...”
THE BELIEF THAT BUTCH CASSIDY and the Sundance Kid were killed in 1908 has
never been substantiated. An imaginative sequel to the Butch and Sundance story,
Blackthorn tells a story of Cassidy surviving, changing his name to James Blackthorn
(the totally credible Sam Shepard: Brothers; The Assassination of Jesse James
by the Coward Robert Ford) and breeding horses on his ranch close to a secluded
Bolivian village.
Cassidy is now playing everything by the book. He is making honest money, has
a lady friend and lives in peace, putting the past behind him. But it is a peace
that is about to be shattered as he finds himself in the middle of a man-hunt
that is not of his making and that will bring him once again in front of his
old enemy Mackinley (Stephen Rea: Ondine; The Crying Game).
“Blackthorn…
smart, well-cast and
gritty”
Having
become tired of his long exile, Cassidy longs to return to the United States
under his new identity to be with Ryan, the son of Etta Place and The Sundance
Kid. The sale of his horses and a successful card game nets him the princely
sum of six thousand dollars and he sets off for his ranch to make arrangements
for his journey.
However, on his way home fate deals him an unlucky hand and he is waylaid by
an ambitious young robber, Eduardo Apodaca (Eduardo Noriega: The Devil's
Backbone; Open Your Eyes) and loses both his horse and his money.
Convincing Cassidy he has a small fortune awaiting him at the mine where he
was an engineer, and that he will share it with him, Eduardo takes him to find
the money. But Eduardo is being pursued and Cassidy is plunged into one last,
dangerous adventure, the like of which he hasn't experienced since his glory
days with Sundance.
Finally Cassidy realises that all is not as it seems and, with his life in danger,
he once again has to outwit a posse, having been hoodwinked into crossing a
line that has caused him a terrible loss and a deep regret.
Blackthorn benefits from a compellingly plausible storyline and a talented
cast. The film also features: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as James Joven (The Game
Of Thrones; Kingdom Of Heaven); Padraic Delaney as Sundance; Magaly Sollier
as Yana; Dominique McElligoff as Etta Place; and Daniel Aguirre as Iván.
Music is by Lucio Godoy; Cinematography is by Juan Ruiz Anchia; Scriptwriter
is Miguel Barros; Produced by Ibón Cormenzana and Andrés Santana; and Directed
by three-times Goya winner Mateo Gil, the Spanish filmmaker best known for his
screenplays for Alejandro Amenabor.
Blackthorn was shot on location in the breathtaking Bolivian landscape,
which is believed to be Cassidy's final resting place.
• Blackthorn, a film by Mateo Gil,
is released courtesy of Chelsea Films on DVD and Blu-ray on 4 June 2012. RRP:
DVD £15.99; Blu-ray £17.99 | Certificate: 15 | Running time: 102 Minutes.
"Blackthorn… smart, well-cast and gritty" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
"A fascinating imaginary sequel to the story of Butch and Sundance" — The
Observer
"…a charismatic performance [by Sam Shepard]" — Evening Standard
"[Sam Shepard] …clearly relishes one of his best cinema roles in years" —
Daily Express
"[An] …elegiac, beautifully shot Western" — New York Post
“Butch
Cassidy and The Sundance Kid