This story, parboiled out of one of the most memorable Westerns, is supported all the way by Gil's directing.

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.

It feels as unique as the way the ageing Shepard's eyes appear weirdly independent of the rest of him. He's a bird of prey gazing through the holes in a crumbling wall.

The film is worth seeking out for Shepard and Rea’s performances.