09/07/05 A Magnificent Gesture

I've always quite liked "The Magnificent Seven" film. It's a classic boy's own adventure piece.
However, there was a part of the plot that spoiled things a lot for me, on account of my pedantic leanings, and inability to suspend disbelief for the purposes of some cinematic hokum.
There comes a point when the Villagers betray the M7 (that's "The Magnificent Seven" not a UK Motorway, in case there's any confusion there) to the bandits, and the M7 find themselves under House Arrest.
Now any self-respecting Mexican Bandit in this situation would deliberate long and hard over a suitably grisly end to inflict on the M7, particularly since a lot of their mates have already shuffled off this mortal coil on account of the impressively high standard of the M7's "fancy shootin'" in earlier skirmishes.
They'd normally be either shot on the spot, be dragged around tied to a horse until dead, or perhaps hung upside down from a tree, with molasses spread all over their head. This would be done near an ants nest (of an appropriately aggressive species of ant), and a horrible fate would ensue.
So what did they do?
Yes that's right. They let them go. And the next day the M7 returned and killed all the bandits, although they did lose a few of their own number and became the M3 (that's "The Magnificent Three", not a UK motorway, in case there is any confusion there)
I had my own moment of this "poor decision making syndrome" today.
I captured a group of gunmen who had been hired as mercenaries by my neighbours to drive me out of Coates Gardens. I also let them go. Will I live to regret this generous gesture? Will I live to regret writing this terrible Blog entry?
Probably.