Knives in movies

[Uncle Bill]

In which movie scenes have they used a knife realistically and for a legitimate purpose in the story line (rather than for manipulative emotion arousal), and in which have they botched it?

I think of the ever-enlarging, almost phallic combat/survival knives in the Rambo series as a species of the latter.



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I don't want my children fed or clothed by the state, but I would prefer THAT to their being educated by the state.

 

[HermanKnives]

"The Edge" with Anthony Hopkins and a nice
Bryan Lyttle folder.

 

[Gwinnydapooh]

McGuyver harbors both Yin and Yang.

Yin: Murdoc always carried one of those big '80s "survival knives" with saw teeth and tried to kill McGuyver with it. Usually McGuyver ended up using it to cut the rope from which Murdoc was hanging, thus killing him instead until the next time they called the actor.

Yang: McGuyver always carried a SAK with which he regularly saved the free world by building a radio-controlled stun gas grenade from a rubber band, a can of beans, and seven pine cones.

 

[Mike Turber]

We worked with Eric Bates (property master) in several films. So the knives shown in GI Jane (filmed right here in Jax) and Six Days and Seven Nights (Hawaii) hopefully got shown in the proper way.

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[Krumbs]

I think its MacGyver.

The some of the beach portions were shot at Guadalupe Dunes, west of Santa Maria, CA. People I knew ran into Demi in the YMCA. -Krumbs

[This message has been edited by Krumbs (edited 22 September 1999).]

 

[Longden]

Alan Ladd's "Iron Mistress" is an example of the former. The blade is the storyline.

 

[FullerH]

Longden: Yes! Yes! Yes! One of my alltime favorites, even if it is as ahistorical as Hell!

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh




[This message has been edited by FullerH (edited 22 September 1999).]

 

[Longden]

Hugh: Ahistorical.... as when the blacksmith throws his meteorite sample into the vat and tells Bowie "now your knife will have a little of Heaven or Hell in it".

Gotta love that artistic license sometimes!

Too bad they haven't spun that into a video...a definite classic for this forum.

 

[Vampire Gerbil]

Hiya!

In "Predator" when Arnold uses that massive knife to slice the belts of the running generator. I always doubted that was possible.

In "Cobra", the silly knife with the pointy studs. It's silly. Yeah, I bought one, so WHAT?!?!?
heh heh heh

"Halloween" shows the improper use of a butcher knife.

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Vampire Gerbil: similar to a domestic gerbil, except for the odd accent and little black cape.

 

[Dave B]

Has anybody seen '8mm'? Nicholas Cage in one of the most disturbing flicks I've seen in years. A film about the most exclusive niche in the independent films area: snuff. As above: Improper use of several knives. Good film if you can tolerate the subject matter.

db

 

[Oregon Duck]

I like "The Edge" for a pretty realistic portrayal of how a good locking knife can save your butt, even if it is a little artsy.

My least favorite knife move of all time is in the movie "The Magnificent Seven" wherein we get James Coburn dueling with a pistolero by throwing a knife into his rib cage and killing him in a slumping heap in about a second. Pure crap. A thrown knife at the chest will likely bounce off of either the sternum or the ribs. In the underhand flick Coburn used, the knife wouldn't have enough velocity to penetrate to the heart, the only spot that would kill his adversary as rapidly as shown. Even then, a knife to the heart will tamponade the wound if not pulled out and no one would bleed to death in such a short time as to not empty the gun.

I regularly throw ka-bars at a log in my woodpile. Even getting full velocity with these knives in an overhand throw, I doubt I could kill someone instantly unless I got lucky and drilled them in the eye socket. Don't even get me started on movies where they throw the knife UP at a target on a catwalk or something!

 

[Cougar Allen]

Oregon Duck: You'll get a kick out of the scene in The Crow where a BG throws a half dozen knives at Brandon Lee and he catches them all and throws them back.

-Cougar Allen :{)

 

[EQUALIZER]

By FARRRRR, the BEST KNIFE SCENE in movie, EVER, im my humble opinion, is the last battle scene in The Last of the Mohicans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, I'm not going to tell you about and spoil the movie for you. Everyone should go rent it (DVD letterbox best) and watch how he uses that battle axe. Realistic? Yes. Emotional? Let me know. Sure its fiction, I guess, but I'd like to know what martial art that the actor who played Chachingagook was taught for that scene. Anybody know?

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"But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword let him sell his garment and buy one." -Jesus Christ (Luke 22:36) See John 3:15- 18

 

[JakeP]

In Platoon where the guy whips out with the safe keeper is pretty cool, or in The Color of Night. when the bg has the safe keeper.

 

[Oregon Duck]

Well at least in "The Crow" Brandon Lee's character was dead. I'll suspend logic as far as the capabilities of any animated corpse are. Anyone supposedly living--that is another matter. Saw a movie on TNT awhile back called "Purgatory" that gave a really splendid view (Target, over the shoulder POV) of what it must be like to have a large Bowie tossed your way. Rent it and see fer yerself pardner. Pretty cool.

 

[stray]

Not a movie, but the new G vs E has some "interesting" knives in it. Twin bladed soaked in the blood of innocents type. I think I have seen them in a catalog somewhere.

jeff

 

[Toro]

I think the scene in Night of the Running man ,which Scott Glenn uses a folder in self defense against a mugger with a gun is text book.
Toro

 

[Jani Kemppainen]

In Seven, the Other Cop has an Italian switchblade with stag scales. He opened a letter with it and threw it in a dartboard (bullseye every time...). When he opens the letter, Brad Pitt goes "What the hell is that?". In one episode of Dharma & Greg, Greg is certain that an old Indian in their house is a psycho of some kind and tries to convince Dharma about it. "For God's sake, he went into a KNIFE SHOP!" "He wanted to get his hunting knife re-handled, he was going to give it to you!". After that, I took a shower because I felt filthy.

Jani

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Two important questions in life:
Do they have a catalog?
Did you know there's a town called "Batman" in Turkey?

[This message has been edited by Jani Kemppainen (edited 23 September 1999).]

 

[stray]

My fovorite movie scene was when Steven Segal whipped out a credit card knife from his wallet and slit the throats of (3?) bad guys. Then he did the others by hand.

Suuuure, I can believe that.

jeff

 

[L6steel]

You folks must be young. What about John Nelson Cooper's knife killing Satan in Night Of The Grizzly?? Wow, what a way to go grizz hunting!!!!!!!!!