Capsule reviews for Oct. 7

Blackthorn

What if legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy survived the gunfight that allegedly killed him and the Sundance Kid in 1908? That’s the question posed by this Western from director Mateo Gil, with Sam Shepard delivering a superb performance as Butch, shown 20 years later as a homesick man living in seclusion under an assumed name in Bolivia, where he reluctantly partners with a small-time Spanish robber (Eduardo Noriega) who steers him back into a life on the run from lawmen and gangsters. The film has its modest charms, with Shepard helping to elevate some of the more conventional aspects of the screenplay. (Rated R, 98 minutes).

The Human Centipede II

Pointless and grotesquely ill-conceived sequel to the 2009 cult hit about a sadistic doctor who connects humans together by sewing mouths to anuses, theoretically creating a single digestive tract. This installment, shot for some reason in black and white, follows a troubled security guard (Laurence Harvey) who is a fan of the first film and tries to make his own centipede, only longer. Filmmaker Tom Six doesn’t know how to tell a coherent story or count the legs of centipedes, but he does have the audacity to mock his audience both in concept and execution. It’s tries to be shocking, but winds up only disgusting. (Not rated, 87 minutes).

Incendiary: The Willingham Case

This compelling and topical documentary about legal reform is infuriating, and that’s a good thing. It recounts the case of Cameron Willingham, a Texas father who was convicted of murder after his three daughters died in a house fire, then executed 13 years later. But the film builds a case that the forensic evidence at Willingham’s trial left room for doubt, something Gov. Rick Perry dismissed, and examines how his case has led anti-death penalty activists to push for changes in the system. The film’s political agenda is a bit too obvious and its presentation too dense, but it does build a persuasive case based on human emotion. (Not rated, 102 minutes).