YMMV / The Great Silence

• Catharsis Factor: One that doesn't technically exist in the movie proper, but was nevertheless filmed to guarantee a South African release: Loco is one of the most notorious cases of a Karma Houdini in film history, but the alternate ending has him and all of his bounty hunters gunned down by Silence in the final duel instead of the other way around. Even if it completely contradicts the themes of the film (hence its deletion) it's satisfying to see the smug, invincible Loco reduced to a corpse with a hole in his head in this alternate ending.
• Complete Monster:
  • Loco/Tigrero is a vicious, bloodthirsty Bounty Hunter dedicated to killing his bounties in cold blood to maximize profits. Introduced casually murdering a man in front of his mother who had provided him shelter, Loco tortures a man to reveal the location of his next bounty, then kills him after promising to spare him. Taking the wife of said bounty hostage, Loco shoots the husband after he surrenders. Teaming up with Pollicut, the corrupt banker of the settlement, Loco plans to collect bounties of the townspeople and proceeds to murder the righteous sheriff to prevent him from interfering. Gloating at the sheriff's lover of said murder, Loco murders her as well while pursuing Silence. Taking the entire settlement hostage, Loco challenges Silence to a duel, but rather than facing him directly, Loco sets an ambush on him, crippling Silence so that he can gun down both him and his lover. Massacring the townspeople and smugly adding they'll collect the bounties legally, Loco's actions are said to have horrified the society and precipitated the end of bounty hunting.
  • Henry Pollicut is the corrupt, greedy banker and "judge of peace" of the settlement. Letting bounty hunters run rampant and personally putting bounties on the townspeople forced to steal for a living, Pollicut lusts after the young Pauline and plans to make her his mistress. Putting a price on his husband's head, Pollicut ensures Pauline becoming a widow before trying to force himself on her. Formerly a bounty hunter who murdered Silence's parents and let one of his associates slit his vocal cords in order to prevent him from talking, Pollicut was later crippled by Silence in payback for what he did. Rather than trying to live with the misdeeds he committed, Pollicut tries to get his revenge on Silence by attempting to rape Pauline in front of him while one of his men tortures Silence by burning his hand in the fireplace, gloating how he doesn't need a thumb to do so.
• Evil Is Cool: Loco is a vicious, sadistic piece of work but he is also sarcastic, cunning, well-dressed and charismatic.
• Magnificent Bastard: Silence himself is given a far more dignified end in the more uplifting alternate ending. A mute, intelligent gunfighter who lures bounty hunters into drawing on him so he might be justified in killing them, Silence comes to the town of Snow Hill where he organizes a resistance against the wicked banker Henry Pollicut. Seemingly walking into a trap set by the evil killer Loco, Silence reveals he was faking his injuries and exhaustion while wearing a hidden gauntlet to protect his hand before taking out Loco's men and securing victory for the outlaws just before settling down for a life with the beautiful widow Pauline and accepting Sheriff Burnett's offer to be his deputy with a glowing smile.

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