10 Best Movies You Can Watch For Free (Legally) On YouTube Right Now

6. Blackthorn

blackthorn movie
Magnolia Pictures

We don't get many high-profile western movies nowadays, and the genre's dying appeal has resulted in a lot of solid efforts flying straight under the radar.

2011's Blackthorn falls firmly into this camp. A fictional portrayal of an older Butch Cassidy (played with grit and steely determination by Sam Shepard), the movie follows the aged outlaw as he attempts to reclaim the money he recently lost.

Westerns are often labelled as inaccessible due to their length, but at a brisk 100 minutes, Blackthorn is one hell of an entertaining romp, with shootouts, twists, and drama aplenty, all anchored by Shepard's commanding performance. It looks beautiful too, with a stunning sequence set across some Bolivian salt flats, and several atmospheric locations including an old mine, and the awe-inspiring Andes mountains.

It's certainly not perfect, with director Mateo Gil's first English-language movie suffering from some unconvincing dialogue and poor supporting performances. It's very much a short-but-sweet affair, and if you're looking to get into westerns - or are a fan looking for a hidden gem - Blackthorn is a great movie to check out.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!