6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
It's been said (but unsubstantiated) that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a standoff with the Bolivian military in 1908. Cassidy survived, and is quietly living out his years under the name James Blackthorn in a secluded Bolivian village. Tired of his long exile from the US and hoping to see his family again before he dies, Cassidy sets out on the long journey home. But when an unexpected encounter with an ambitious young criminal derails his plans, he is thrust into one last adventure, the likes of which he hasn't experienced since his glory days with the Sundance Kid.
Starring: Sam Shepard, Eduardo Noriega (II), Stephen Rea, Magaly Solier, Nikolaj Coster-WaldauWestern | 100% |
Biography | 16% |
Period | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There’s an ambiguous freeze frame of Paul Newman and Robert Redford charging into the fray, pistols drawn, but at the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, we can probably assume the two outlaws die in a blaze of glory, squaring off against a squadron of Bolivian soldiers. The fact is, historians can’t say for certain what happened to Robert Leroy Parker--better known as Butch Cassidy--and there’s always been speculation that he may have survived his South American travels and returned to the U.S. to live the rest of his days in anonymity. We’ll probably never know the truth, but it’s fun to imagine the inveterate robber settling into old age, perhaps giving up his gun ‘n’ run antics for a simpler, more honest life. That’s the starting point for Blackthorn, the latest film from Spanish director Mateo Gil, the co-writer of Abres los ojos and it’s U.S. remake, Vanilla Sky. Gil’s premise is simple: What if Cassidy had survived? What sort of man would he be? What made him give up stealing from the rich, and what could tempt him back to it?
Magnolia Home Entertainment has wrangled up a generally good-looking 1080p/AVC encode for Blackthorn. The film was shot digitally, with Sony's F23 HD camera, and the resulting picture is rich and warm, with a strong--but not quite exemplary--degree of clarity. You'll notice that most close-ups convey lots of high definition detail--Cassidy's blown-back hair and salt 'n' pepper whiskers, for instance, or the defined stalks of desert brush-- while many longer shots seem slightly soft, a trait that's almost certainly inherent in the source footage and not the product of a sloppy encode. Color is nicely saturated, with a frequently sun-soaked yellow cast, and skin tones are balanced. Where the picture quality loses a few points is in slightly hazy, elevated black levels--especially in interior scenes, but also visible in some outdoor shots--and blotchy-looking chroma noise that occasionally peppers darker portions of the frame. This isn't distracting in the slightest, but it is noticeable if you've got a relatively large screen. There are no other overt compression issues, though, and no problems with noise reduction or edge enhancement either. A serviceable image, overall.
More consistently impressive is the film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which, for a fairly low budget movie, does a good job of creating immersion. The rear speakers frequently come alive with the sounds of wind and birds and other outdoorsy ambient noises, and there are a few potent directional effects as well, including one gunshot that made me physically jolt in my seat. The score is mostly comprised of plaintive guitar plinkings, along with occasional songs--like "Ain't No Grave (Can Hold My Body Down)"--and the music sounds decently full and clean, taking up space in all channels. The track, as a whole, is clear and dynamically solid, and vocals are balanced cleanly at the top of the mix. No problems here whatsoever. The disc includes optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Sam Shepard is the man. There's no doubt about that, especially after seeing his performance as the aging Butch Cassidy, who--dammit--just wants to get back to the U.S. of A and live his life in peace. Blackthorn may not be quite as good as some other recent westerns--like the Coen brothers' remake of True Grit--but it's certainly worth a look if you're jonesing for more outlaw action. Worth a rental, at least!
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