Continuity mistake: The three bounty hunters run into a building to catch Tuco. After they run into the building, the shot pans over to the window. The shadows on the wall surrounding the window change when it cuts to the closer shot of the window, where Tuco jumps out of it. (00:05:35)
Visible crew/equipment: When Angel Eyes sits down at the dinner table in his first scene, there is a small unlit lantern hanging on the wall near his head, and unexplainable light sources reflected on it. (00:09:35)
Continuity mistake: When Angel Eyes first mentions the name Jackson to Stevens, he picks up a loaf of bread and starts cutting a slice. At first, the loaf is held at a tilted angle. When the shot cuts, the loaf is level. (00:11:30)
Continuity mistake: When Stevens puts the bag of money on the table, the bag has a string on it that is shown hanging over the edge of the table. When the shot cuts, the string is suddenly on the table. (00:13:53)
Revealing mistake: When Angel Eyes shoots Stevens, he does so by firing mostly forwards, plus a few degrees upwards. This causes the soup in the bowl on the table to blast upwards, and the bowl itself breaks apart. However, the gun doesn't appear to be aligned with the bowl or the soup in a way that would cause it to be affected by the bullet being fired, especially seeing as how it was aimed at Stevens' head. (00:14:20)
Continuity mistake: After Stevens' wife hears the gunshot, it cuts to Angel Eyes lowering his gun. In the shot from behind Angel Eyes, there is a loaf of bread, shown at the edge of the table. When the shot cuts, the bread is further away from the edge of the table. (00:14:25)
Revealing mistake: Towards the beginning of the movie, Angel Eyes rides up to a house where he has to get information from a man inside and then kill him. After Angel Eyes kills him at the kitchen table, his son runs down some steps behind Angel Eyes in the background with a rifle in his hands. Angel Eyes pulls out his revolver, turns around quickly, and shoots him dead. Take note that the pistol is not pointing directly at the boy as he is firing it. (00:14:30)
Continuity mistake: When Tuco is riding his horse, he encounters three bounty hunters - one fires a shot making the horse misstep, and fall, bringing Tuco down to the ground. One of the bounty hunters ask Tuco, "Hey amigo, you know that you have a face beautiful enough to be worth $2,000.00?" He has a big blade of grass between his lips as he backs away from Blondie (Eastwood), however, there was no blade of grass between his lips when Blondie and he were close to one another. As he backed away, he had a rifle in his right hand and a wanted poster in his left, and he knew that Blondie had a gun pointed at him through his overcoat, so he was not able to put a blade of grass between his lips at any point. (00:17:50 - 00:18:50)
Continuity mistake: When Blondie is handing Tuco in at the first town, in the shot of Tuco saying he hopes his mother ends up in a whorehouse, Blondie is holding onto a leather strap. The shot then cuts to him handing the leather strap to a man on the ground, and his hand appears to have rotated 90 degrees in between shots. (00:20:10)
Other mistake: About 20 minutes into the film, Tuco is arrested by the sheriff who rolls out a Wanted poster which has Tuco's picture. However, as can be seen (but only visible for a second or two), the name on the Wanted poster says Guy Calloway, who was a character in Leone's previous film For A Few Dollars More, who had a bounty on him (and a poster) and was killed by Col. Mortimer early in that film. Leone was notorious for trying to reuse props to save money (the Al Mulock story being the most infamous example), and possibly just reused the old poster with Wallach's picture on it, figuring nobody would notice. (00:21:03)
Factual error: The judges reading Tuco and Shorty's death sentences mention them being wanted by so many counties within "the state." This cannot be correct. The battles the characters are near at all times in the film depict the battles over New Mexico. The Union never invaded Texas through its western deserts, despite landing in the Rio Grande valley. New Mexico was not a state until 1912 and was never treated as a state by the CSA. Thus, the judges should be saying territory. (00:21:57 - 00:56:47)
Revealing mistake: When Angel Eyes has finished paying the legless man for information, the legless man hops into the saloon. Notice he has two shadows, revealing the presence of stage lighting. (00:25:08)
Continuity mistake: When the Confederate soldier is explaining to Angel Eyes the circumstances surrounding the missing money, in the shot of the soldier saying "and when he's found, I'd be scared to be put in his shoes", a man and woman are shown walking past. It then cuts to Angel Eyes, but the man and woman cannot be seen walking past. It cuts again and two men have suddenly appeared walking past Angel Eyes. (00:25:35)
Continuity mistake: When Angel Eyes is about to get into the carriage, he says, "Even a filthy beggar like that has got a protecting angel." At this moment, the pipe he is holding is level with his chest. In the next shot, it is suddenly raised higher. (00:26:35)
Continuity mistake: When Blondie abandons Tuco in the desert, watch the rope around Tuco's neck. It changes between shots, sometimes over his left shoulder, and sometimes hanging down in front of him. It is not due to the camera angle. (00:28:27)
Factual error: Just before Angel Eyes confronts the girl in her room about the whereabouts of Bill Carson, we see her walking in the hall outside her room, and lighting this hallway is a very modern day lightbulb. (00:30:22)
Continuity mistake: When Angel Eyes begins questioning Maria, he turns on a lamp. When he does this, Maria's hair is hanging over the front of her left shoulder. But in the next shot, her hair is behind her shoulder. (00:30:52)
Factual error: When Tuco is in the gunshop messing around with the guns, one gun has the cylinder and barrel moving back and forth by manipulating the trigger guard-lever. This is a Belgian Galand & Somerville revolver, a gun that did not exist until 1868. This film takes place during the US Civil War, which ended in 1865. (00:33:55)
Continuity mistake: At the gun store, when Tuco throws the guns off the counter, he turns around to look at some other guns. When this happens, the owner has his left hand on the counter. When the shot cuts, his hand is off the counter. (00:34:20)
Factual error: While cleaning his pistol Eastwood is using a plastic bore brush, not available in that era. (00:43:20 - 00:50:00)
Chosen answer: Tuco knew he had a better chance at survival (and the gold) by playing along with Blondie and keeping his balance on the cross, hoping Blondie does not miss the rope when he shoots. This final, deadly game was preferable to being shot outright by Blondie and dying a poor man.
Scott215
Tuco had no idea that Blondie's intention was to shoot the rope and let him live.