MovieChat Forums > Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1967) Discussion > What do you like to think happens to Tuc...

What do you like to think happens to Tuco after the film ends?


I have two possiblities, one serious, the other more in-tune with the film.

My serious one is that I like to think Tuco reunites with his brother properly. The war ends and they make up and maybe end up living together...for a time at least. The scene with his brother in the film has always moved me. It's so sad that Tuco never was able to see his mother and father off after 9 years, and that his brother said that his father was asking for him on his deathbed just makes it even more sad. I like to think that Tuco doesn't make the same mistake with his brother post-film.

My other idea is that Tuco continues to track down Blondie after he pulled that trick on him with the rope at the end of the film. Tuco just can't let it go. For some time onwards it will be a case of more humorous encounters between Tuco and Blondie where they always seem to re-unite somehow, briefly become "friends" again, then "enemies" again and then lose eachother. Repeat and repeat.


"Bars during the day are like women without make-up"

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I've never bought that Tuco was the weakest of the three main characters. Sure, he's not on the level of Blondie and Angel Eyes, but he's only inferior to them the same way a rattlesnake is inferior to a cobra. A rattlesnake may be less lethal than a cobra, but the rattlesnake is still deadly as ANYBODY who made the mistake of both crossing and underestimating Tuco like Elam and Corporal Wallace found out.

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I thought he got a plane and helped some other people capture wild horses to sell for dog food. (Sorry, I couldn't help it.)

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If I remember correctly, the start of the film demonstrates the kind of badass Tuco really is.
He is portrayed rather comically throughout the film but I believe he is incredibly capable.

At the beginning of the film there are some men who try to capture/kill Tuco while he is dinning.
And immediately Tuco crashes out the window, still holding his food and we find out he killed all the men (presumably skilled bountyhunters) inside.

Then there's another scene where Tuco assembles his own pistol and shows off his skills to a poor gunshop owner.
That scene showed that Tuco was not only good, he knows his stuff.

Anyways, by far my favorite character in this film so I'm a bit biased.



Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down and a Wagging Finger of Shame

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If I remember correctly, the start of the film demonstrates the kind of badass Tuco really is.
He is portrayed rather comically throughout the film but I believe he is incredibly capable.

At the beginning of the film there are some men who try to capture/kill Tuco while he is dinning.
And immediately Tuco crashes out the window, still holding his food and we find out he killed all the men (presumably skilled bountyhunters) inside.

Then there's another scene where Tuco assembles his own pistol and shows off his skills to a poor gunshop owner.
That scene showed that Tuco was not only good, he knows his stuff.

Anyways, by far my favorite character in this film so I'm a bit biased.


Don't forget that scene where Tuco shot down that one-armed guy that ambushed him while he was naked and in the tub. Then, he capped it off by saying, "If you're going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." Wow, I was impressed.

I'm so glad they didn't give that scene away to Clint Eastwood, as would usually (and predictably) be the case.

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The first one concerning his brother is a heart-warming story, but somehow I just think that they are always going to be oil-and-water when together.

Tuco has shown himself to be the vengeful sort, so I lean toward your second scenario. Plus that has the added incentive that Tuco could steal Blondie's share of the gold.

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In my mind they never crossed paths again, became lazy and died rich.

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Turns himself in to collect the $3,000, forgetting no one is there to shoot the rope for him, and he dies by hanging, even though he's rich.

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Im guessing he eventually got himself out of the ropes and took the gold and back tracked to the river where they blew up the bridge earlier to get water and after that probably found his way back to civilization possibly back to the church or a town and lived it up with his new found wealth.

Its crazy that Ive read on other places that some people actually believe he would of just sat out there and died with his hands tied after they spent the whole film showing how savvy he was. I also don't get why some theories are he would go after blondie for the rest of the gold, its kind of established that he and Blonde are "friends" at the point of blowing the bridge because it was Tucos idea to reveal each others secret and he actually gave him the correct information and not a lie so that says something.

Also when Blondie helped him in the showdown against angel eyes gang in that town suggests they had a sort of bond as well. Its also got to mean something that at the end when hes running towards the camera screaming "blonde you know what you are, just a dirty son of a bitch" instead of saying he was a pig like all the other times so I doubt he would of wanted to go after him.

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Disagree about the friends. I think one of the whole reasons Blondie does the noose trick is so he can get away without a confrontation with Tuco. I think the implication is that half wasn't good enough for Tuco and he would have wanted to kill Blondie in order to have it all.

In fact, remember the only reason Blondie is alive at this point is because he knew the name on the grave. Otherwise he'd be a shriveled corpse in the desert.

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Also, the reason Blondie goes to Tuco in the town to then go back and kill Angel Eyes is because he still needs to know the cemetery, and Angel Eyes has 4 others to split the loot with.

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I imagine he gets out of there and blows all his money and has to go right back to being a bandit. Eventually gets hung. His character just doesn't seem the type to do anything else. He'd screw up some how.

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I was uncomfortable with glorification of a murderer, and it continues after the movie is over

Darkness lies an inch ahead

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I agree that Blondie put Tuco through that last exercise to discourage him from going after Blondie again. I think Tuco would know better; there are really no more scores to settle; and Blondie has shown himself to be faster on several draws than Tuco. So Tuco would pack up his share of the gold and live nicely as long as it lasted. I like to think he might make an anonymous gift to his brother, but somehow doubt the rift between them can be mended.

It's possible he might end up hanged, but Tuco is very much a survivor, and just might be able to die old in bed. I like to think so, anyway.

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Tuco has half the gold, which would be like a few million dollars today, but he'll blow it all on whores, horses, booze, and fancy clothes in a couple of years and be right back where he started.

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