History CruelMercy / Film

* At the end of ''Film/EverAfter'', Danielle saves her stepmother and stepsister from transportation to America and almost certain death. When the queen asks her what shall be done with them instead, she simply asks, "That you show them the same kindness that she showed me." That kindness would be de facto slavery.

** Firstly, in a battle with Anakin's former teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi cuts off Anakin's left arm and both of Anakin's legs and then chooses to walk away and leave him alive... except that the site where they were dueling is ''beside a molten chemical lake''. By the time Anakin's new master, Darth Sidious, finds Anakin, the extreme heat has basically cooked Anakin alive, covering his entire body in severe burns as well as permanently damaging Anakin's eyes and lungs. Subverted since according to WordOfGod, he didn't ''want'' to just leave Anakin like that, but he wasn't in a good place mentally and felt that finishing him off [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred would be an express ticket to]] TheDarkSide.
** Secondly, rather than leave Anakin to finish cooking to death or just killing him outright, Darth Sidious rescues Anakin and gives him life-saving cybernetic reconstructive surgery... ''without'' any anesthesia, over ''days'' of agonizing procedures. DependingOnTheWriter, Sidious also ''deliberately'' chooses poorly designed and/or obsolete implants that will further cause Anakin suffering and misery just because he can ([[INeedYouStronger and because the Dark Side is fueled by negative emotions]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'': Quasimodo poises Frollo's dagger above him. Frollo begs for his life, but Quasimodo nails him with his speech that Frollo has lied to him all his life about the world being dark and cruel.
-->'''Frollo''': Now, now! L-L-Listen to me, Quasimodo!\\
'''Quasimodo''': NO, YOU LISTEN! All my life, you've told me the world is a dark, cruel place! But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like ''YOU!''

* In ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'', Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel that he let John Kreese live (after inducing Kreese to break both of his hands, delivering an IronicEcho of Kreese's own words, and embarrassing him with a nose grab) because, for a man as twisted as him, living is a worse punishment than dying. [[spoiler: Daniel does the same to Chozen at the end of Part II, but this was more a case of teaching someone who should know better.]] Kreese doesn't take the humiliation well. The plot of Part III revolves around his plan of revenge.

'''Blake:''' [[AffablyEvil Oh, I don't wanna kill you. I wanna kill your life!]]

* ''Film/OnceUponATimeInAmerica''. [[spoiler: Noodles discovers that his best friend Max faked his death, and arranged Noodles's imprisonment and the death of their friends. Now Max is facing his own lengthy prison sentence, he invites Noodles to take his revenge by killing him. Noodles pretends not to recognise him, stating that the Max he knew [[ThatManIsDead was a good friend who died long ago]]. Max says that's a better way than any of getting revenge and kills himself by throwing himself into a garbage compactor truck.]]

* In ''Film/TheHiddenFortress'', after being defeated in duel, Hyoe demands to be killed by Rokurota but the latter decides to spare his life, much to Hyoe's dismay.

* In ''Film/TheHiddenFortress'', after being defeated in duel, Hyoe demands to be killed by Rokurota but the latter decides to spare his life, much to Hyoe's dislike.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'': Otis prepares to punch Dag as his dad did but instead orders him to NEVER return, before hitting him with a golf club and sends Dag soaring out into the distance while howling in pain.

* ''Film/TheCountOfMonteCristo'': The Count does this to [[spoiler: Villefort]] by giving him an unloaded pistol, which [[AteHisGun he tries to use to off himself]], to no avail. "You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?"

* ''Film/TheCountOfMonteCristo'': The Count does this to [[spoiler:Villefort]] by giving him an unloaded pistol, which [[AteHisGun he tries to use to off himself]], to no avail. "You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?"
** Later tho Edmond averts the trope with [[spoiler: Mondego]]. "What happened to your vaunted mercy?" "I'm a count, not a saint."

* Near the end of ''Film/TheDeparted'', Costigan finally captures Sullivan, TheMole inside the police force. Sullivan begins trying to threaten and intimidate Costigan, then begins [[VillainousBreakdown breaking down into tears]] and pleading with Costigan to "Just kill me". Costigan refuses, saying "I ''am'' killing you", meaning that he's intent on bringing Sullivan up on charges, thus ruining his life and forcing him to live through and experience everything that will result from that. Immediately afterwards, [[spoiler:Costigan is killed, and a couple of scenes later, after getting away with everything, Sullivan receives a rather painless death.]]

* At the end of ''Film/EverAfter'', Danielle saves her stepmother and stepsister from transportation to America, and almost certain death. When the queen asks her what shall be done with them instead, she simply asks "That you show them the same kindness that she showed me." That kindness would be de facto slavery.

* In ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'', Smaug briefly considers letting Thorin have the Arkenstone just to watch it drive him mad with greed, and later refrains from killing Bilbo just to make him [[WatchingTroyBurn watch Laketown and the people who helped him burn]].

* In ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'', Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel that he let John Kreese live (after inducing Kreese to break both of his hands, delivering an IronicEcho of Kreese's own words, and embarrassing him with a nose grab) because, for a man as twisted as him, living is a worse punishment than dying. [[spoiler:Daniel does the same to Chozen at the end of Part II, but this was more a case of teaching someone who should know better.]] Kreese doesn't take the humiliation well. The plot of Part III revolves around his plan of revenge.

** The Bride does this to Elle Driver at the end of their fight in ''Kill Bill Volume 2'' after she snatches out her remaining eye and crushes it underfoot, leaving her stuck in the narrow-halled trailer with a poisonous snake while she's thrashing about in a literal and figurative blind panic -- all in the middle of the desert. She was toast.

* In ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'', at the last second of cursing Princess Aurora, Maleficent responds to King Stefan's begging for mercy with a CurseEscapeClause: the eternal sleep can be broken by TrueLovesKiss. [[spoiler:Which Maleficent firmly believes does not exist. She's eventually proven wrong when ''her own kiss'' awakens Aurora, as by then she's come to love Aurora as a surrogate daughter, therefore fulfilling the 'true love' part.]]
* In ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro'', Montero lets Diego live in prison rather than killing him so that he can dwell on how everything he loves has been taken from him, including witnessing the death of his wife and the knowledge that his daughter is being raised by Montero. [[spoiler:Diego returns the favor at the end, having taken back Elena and ended Montero's schemes. It doesn't prevent Montero from suffering a KarmicDeath, however]].

* ''Film/OnceUponATimeInAmerica''. [[spoiler:Noodles discovers that his best friend Max faked his death, and arranged Noodles' imprisonment and the death of their friends. Now Max is facing his own lengthy prison sentence, he invites Noodles to take his revenge by killing him. Noodles pretends not to recognise him, stating that the Max he knew [[ThatManIsDead was a good friend who died long ago]]. Max says that's a better way than any of getting revenge, and kills himself by throwing himself into a garbage compactor truck.]]
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': Westley threatens Prince Humperdinck with a duel ToThePain, which involves leaving the loser alive but severely disfigured, "wallowing in freakish misery forever." To further the cruelness, the loser loses their eyes, their nose, their hands at the wrist, their feet at the ankle, but they keep their ears "so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God! What is that ''[[ItIsDehumanizing thing]]'',' will echo in your perfect ears." Instead, as the page quote above shows, Westley leaves Humperdink untouched, save for his realization that for all his bluster and prestige, he ultimately is a DirtyCoward who folded at the first bluff.

* In ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', Captain Mal spares the Operative's life so he can show him a message which proves that [[spoiler:an Alliance experiment killed almost everyone on the planet Miranda and created the Reavers out of the remainder]], crushing the Operative's dream of the Alliance creating a "[[{{Utopia}} perfect world]]".

* In ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', the killer has already proven himself to be a monumentally depraved piece of work with the sheer methodical cruelty of his various killings. When he corners Detective Mills during a downtown chase in the rain, he leaves him alive in what appears to be a random moment of mercy. [[spoiler:It turns out that he had already been stalking the Detectives who were pursuing him for some time. He had far greater plans for Mills in mind, decapitating his wife Tracy out of Envy and making him the final piece in his murder set by letting Mills kill him out of Wrath.]]

[[spoiler:Of course Kirk is only acting at this point; he already knows they will shortly be rescued.]]

** Firstly, in a battle with Anakin's former teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi cuts off Anakin's left arm and both of Anakin's legs, and then chooses to walk away and leave him alive... except that the site where they were dueling is ''beside a molten chemical lake''. By the time Anakin's new master, Darth Sidious, finds Anakin, the extreme heat has basically cooked Anakin alive, covering his entire body in severe burns as well as permanently damaging Anakin's eyes and lungs. Subverted since according to WordOfGod he didn't ''want'' to just leave Anakin like that, but he wasn't in a good place mentally and felt that finishing him off [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred would be an express ticket to]] TheDarkSide.
** Secondly, rather than leave Anakin to finish cooking to death or just killing him outright, Darth Sidious rescues Anakin and gives him life-saving cybernetic reconstructive surgery... ''without'' any anesthesia, over ''days'' of agonizing procedures. DependingOnTheWriter, Sidious also ''deliberately'' chooses poorly designed and/or obsolete implants that will further cause Anakin suffering and misery, just because he can ([[INeedYouStronger and because the Dark Side is fueled by negative emotion]]).

* In ''Film/TrainingDay'', Ethan Hawke's character leaves Denzel Washington's character alive after their final confrontation. It might seem merciful, but Denzel owes a very large debt to TheMafiya, and Ethan took the money he was going to use to pay them off. [[spoiler:He doesn't last long.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'': When Simba has Scar cornered and at his mercy, he says he won't kill him for his crimes -- instead, he'll punish Scar with a life in exile, never to return to the Pridelands he spent his whole life coveting. [[SubvertedTrope However]], Scar attacks him, resulting in a climactic fight scene where Simba eventually [[DisneyVillainDeath throws him off the edge of Pride Rock]], leaving Scar to be confronted by the hyena minions he'd just tried to betray, who finish the job on their traitorous boss.

* ''Film/HardToKill'':
** The ending features Creator/StevenSeagal's attempt at this trope. After roughing up the villain ''anyway'', he tells him, "Death is far too merciful a fate for you. So what I'm going to do is put you in prison. A nice petite white boy like you in a federal penitentiary... now let me just put it this way: [[PrisonRape I don't think you'll be able to remain anal-retentive for very long]]."
** He does much the same thing to the BigBad of ''Film/FireDownBelow'', disabling his enemy with one shot instead of killing him, for much the same reasons as the above flick. No one ever accused Steven Seagal movies of an abundance of originality.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'': When Simba has Scar cornered and at his mercy, he says he won't kill him for his crimes -- instead, he'll punish Scar with a life in exile, never to return to the Pridelands he spent his whole life coveting. [[SubvertedTrope However]], Scar attacks him, resulting in a climactic fight scene where Simba eventually sends him off the edge of Pride Rock--where Scar is now at the cruel mercy of his hyena henchmen, [[DisneyVillainDeath who finish the job on their traitorous boss]].

* ''Film/BadApples'': At the end of the movie, when Ella sees that [[TeensAreMonsters the girls]] have [[spoiler:killed her husband and [[HUmanJackOLantern turned his torso into a jack-o-lantern]]]], she tells them to kill her. They decide not to and leave.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'': Simba corners Scar at his mercy and after a climactic fight scene, eventually sends him off the edge of Pride Rock--where Scar is now at the cruel mercy of his hyena henchmen, [[DisneyVillainDeath who finish the job on their traitorous boss]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'': Otis prepares to punch Dag as his dad did but instead orders him to NEVER return, before hitting him with a golf club and Dag soars out into the distance while howling in pain.