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Heartwarming / The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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  • Blondie was "The Good" In Name Only throughout the entire film, considering he was just as greedy, selfish and heartless as Tuco and Angel-Eyes. However, towards the end of the film, he finally lives up to his namesake as he comforts a dying soldier with One Last Smoke from his cigar and gives him his jacket to keep him warm in his final moments, in an act of spontaneous and selfless kindness that seems alien to the grim and cynical world of this film.
  • In the extended cut, after offering liquor to a Confederate soldier for information about Bill Carson, Angel Eyes lets him keep the entire bottle. For such a cold-hearted person, that's pretty generous of him. Upon seeing the wounded and dying soldiers in the fort, he also appears to be quite moved and shakes his head sadly.
  • Another touching moment is between Tuco and Blondie after the fight between Tuco and his brother. Tuco doesn't know that Blondie saw the fight, and tries to convince Blondie, if not himself, that his brother loves him and looks up to him, and we see the underlying sadness in how lonely he is and how his only "brother" is Blondie. Made much more sad when one thinks of the ending, where after being saved from the rope one last time, Tuco is still stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Though at least he has the money.
  • Tuco also hypes up his brother while talking to Blondie. Despite their fight, he still loves him and thinks the world of him.
    Tuco: Nice guy, my brother. I didn't tell you my brother was in charge here? Of everything, he's like the Pope almost!
  • One of the best parts is Blondie's "and after a good meal, there's nothing like a cigar". He may be cold and pragmatic throughout most of the movie, but this little gesture of friendship and willingness to play along with Tuco's lie shows that he feels compassion for him, at least a little. It's the warm smile on Tuco's face that really sells it.
  • Not immediately obvious, but the final scene. Sure, Blondie leaves Tuco tied up, almost kills him, and leaves without as much as a word. But think about it: he lets Tuco live, lets him keep his share of the gold (although God only knows how he's going to carry it. Maybe he only just takes a handful and re-buries the rest), and indirectly tells him — by shooting the rope — that their score is settled. For a tough gunslinger, that's as close to explicitly making peace with Tuco as it possibly could be (Also, let's face it: it's Tuco. The best way to make peace with him is with a good running start, just in case). And what's more, if you look at the Dollars Trilogy as a whole, and how ruthless Blondie is, you'll realize that the only Mexican bandit whose life we see him spare is Tuco. A very rare act of mercy indeed for such a man.
  • The scene where Blondie pets a Cute Kitten sitting in his hat.
  • When Tuco go out to face Angel Eyes' goons, it seems like it's going to be one on five. But then he gets a plus one.
    Blondie: Were you gonna die alone?
  • The Captain's expression when he sees the bridge blowing up and is finally able to die in peace. There's also the whole reason he wants it blown in the first place. He specifically mentions that destroying the bridge would mean saving thousands of lives. He might be a bitter drunk but he got that way because he cares too much about his men's lives.
  • A lost scene is described as such: Tuco, searching for Blondie, arrives to a small village close to the Mexican border, where the Confederates try to enlist the poor peones. Moved to pity, Tuco passes the hat. 
  • The final duel between the titular trio ends with both Tuco and Blondie killing (or attempting to kill in Tuco's case) Angel Eyes. Clearly they both hate the man a lot more than they hate each other.

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