For a Few Dollars More - Characters & Cast

Manco's primary motivation is money. He is a professional bounty killer, and his actions are almost always guided by the potential for financial reward. He is pragmatic and self-interested, risking his life for the substantial sums offered for dangerous criminals.

Manco begins the film as a solitary, profit-driven bounty hunter. His arc is subtle but significant. Through his reluctant partnership with Colonel Mortimer, he is exposed to a motivation deeper than money: revenge. While he never abandons his professional cynicism, his decision to aid Mortimer in the final duel—ensuring a fair fight rather than just securing the bounty—shows a flicker of respect and perhaps a developing moral code. He ultimately collects the bounties, but only after helping Mortimer achieve personal justice.

Revenge. Years prior, El Indio drove Mortimer's sister to suicide after raping her. Every action he takes is a calculated step towards confronting and killing Indio to settle this personal score.

Colonel Mortimer is introduced as a highly skilled, older bounty hunter who appears to be Manco's rival. His arc is one of revelation. Initially seeming to be after the same bounty money, his true, all-consuming motivation is gradually unveiled: to avenge the death of his sister at the hands of El Indio. His journey is a straight line toward this singular goal. Once he kills Indio and fulfills his quest, he relinquishes his share of the bounty money, demonstrating that his purpose was never about profit but about retribution. His mission complete, he simply leaves.

A combination of greed and a self-destructive impulse. He is driven to commit large-scale robberies for the money, but he is also compulsively drawn to re-enact the duel connected to his past trauma, suggesting a subconscious desire for his own punishment.

El Indio is a static but complex villain. He does not change, but the audience's understanding of him deepens. He is presented as a ruthless, intelligent, and brutal gang leader. However, his addiction to marijuana and the recurring flashbacks tied to his musical pocket watch reveal a man tormented by his past crimes. He is not a one-dimensional evil figure but a man haunted by a specific act of cruelty that has psychologically scarred him. His arc is a descent into paranoia and ultimately, his demise at the hands of the past he cannot escape.