Blackthorn – review

There's an interesting idea at play here: what might have happened to Butch Cassidy had he survived the shootout with the Bolivian army, as a clutch of determined conspiracy theorists appear to think he did. Sam Shepard, seemingly hewn in granite, is perfect for the role as the one-time bankrobber holed up in the South American wilds and writing letters to the child he has never seen. But he is not well served by the stodgy, near-inert writing and direction on display here. The Newman/Redford movie casts a very long shadow, as does Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven – a much better essay on the mournful life of the redundant outlaw. Blackthorn is a handsomely mounted film, with many an awesome vista and rolling plain, but compared to the quicksilver brilliance of its predecessors, it comes off as irredeemably minor.