Lack of good storyline.

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Blistering performances.

Since the movie didn't say this was a true story, there are no statements at the end telling us what happened to everyone. I suppose we do wish that this was a true story.James Blackthorn (Sam Shepard) once known as Butch Cassidy seems to be alive in Bolivia and wants to go to the United States to see his nephew Ryan. On the way, he is almost bushwhacked by Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega), who fails, and Blackthorn kind of agrees to help him retrieve money he says he stole from a mine where he was an engineer and there is a posse after him. The rest of the movie has Blackthorn and Eduardo racing across the desert with the posse close behind. There will be a major twist later on. (Oh, oh!) The cinematography is excellent and many scenes were shot in Bolivia. There are many flashbacks of Butch and Sun Dance together to help fill in some gaps. Notables: Magaly Solier as Yana, love interest to Blackthorn; Dominique McElligott as Etta, who traveled with Butch and Sundance initially to Bolivia and later is shown as pregnant seemingly with Sun Dance's child; Padraic Delaney as Sun Dance; Stephen Rea as Mackinley the Pinkerton man who takes Blackthorn to safety.This was well told and acted throughout. (9/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Humor: Some may think some things were funny. I didn't see that. Language: Yes, some not much. Rating: A

This Spanish/South American western is not only one of the most underrated films in the genre, but one of the most overlooked films of the last several years. It boasts a compelling story, a fine script, an excellent cast, stunning photography of some magnificent Bolivian locations and a terrific performance from Sam Shepard as Butch Cassidy (alias James Blackthorn). This may well be Shepard's finest screen work in a stellar career. Stephen Rea as Blackthorn's (Shepard's) ancient nemesis and pursuer (their relationship recalls Victor Hugo's Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert) and Eduardo Noriega as the devilishly charming Spanish thief provide wonderful support. The action is well-handled and the flashback scenes of a young Butch, Sundance and Etta Place perfectly underscore the story rather than sidetrack it as flashback sequences so often do. The picture is different in tone - more serious and downbeat - than the classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), but it is still a worthy companion piece to that film - largely due to Shepard's expert characterization and Mateo Gil's sure-handed direction. In a genre that has often been depicted as all but dead (but still lives on splendidly thank you), this is a more than worthy entry.

BLACKTHORN is a low key little western story with the added attraction of having been filmed in Bolivia. It's a semi-sequel of sorts to BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, supposedly based on a real-life bit of historical research that revealed the pair weren't killed by Bolivian soldiers in a shoot out after all. What really happened is shown in brief flashbacks in which Butch is played by GAME OF THRONES star Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau , and it's more downbeat and realistic than in the Hollywood production.Otherwise, this film is very much unlike the glossy Paul Newman-starrer. There's no humour for a start, just an understated approach that makes this an art-house film. It's a lyrical mood piece in which glorious rolling landscapes and deserts are the backdrop to character-based plot twists. Sam Shepard plays an aged Cassidy in an understated way, leaving the brunt of the acting to Eduardo Noriega who plays his newfound associate. There's no action here to speak of aside from a couple of brief shoot-outs, just plot-building and pretty visuals.

Glad to see they can still make nice westerns like this one. The whole movie is beautifully shot with amazing nature scenery. It's the story about an aged Butch Cassidy that goes by the name James Blackthorn now and that lives a retired life somewhere in Bolivia. He was supposed to be dead, killed with his comrade the Sundance Kid. So the story goes back an forth between the young Cassidy and the old Blackthorn, but it stays mainly focused on Blackthorn. In the flashbacks Nicolaj Coaster-Waldau and Padraic Delaney play Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But the star of this movie is Sam Shepard. He is cut for this role and puts down a very good performance playing Blackthorn. The richness of this movie are the stunning locations and if you are a nature lover for this alone it is already worth a watch.