The better films will sometimes wait until the last few minutes to allow a flawed character to redeem himself in some way. The unusual (and I think great) thing about this scene is that Anthony Quinn‘s redemption comes too late to matter, and all that’s left is devastation. I’ve said this kind of thing 100 times, but you couldn’t end a film today with the lead character finally realizing that he’s been a thundering asshole and has totally screwed himself. The last film to try this was Woody Allen‘s Sweet and Lowdown.
