Saw this trick in a movie ...

Q

qwertyname

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Oct 11, 2000
Messages
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I happened to be watching the movie "the Long Kiss Goodnight" a week ago or so, and thought that for a movie trick, the scene were Gena Davis balances the chef's knife on here finger, then drops it into a blade grip and impales the flying tomato against the cabinet pretty slick.

Now, unfortunately, I have been living in apartments and condos for a while and have not really been able to set up an area to throw knives in, although I used to throw alot. (I also used to throw about anything, cheap taiwanese one piece diving knives, cheap copies of air force survival knives, cheap explorer copies of gerber mark II's, a Benchmark Ninja - upon recommendation from Blackie Collins, the cheap light stamped steel three to a pack throwing knife sets, cheap taiwanese chef's knife, ... Notice a pattern here?) While I got to be reasonable - being able to stick at different distances with different knives about 90% of the time up to about 20 feet or so, I don't think there is a chance in heck that I would have been able to pull off the trick from the movie. Which got me to thinking ... anyone out there who can? Anyone seen anyone pull something like that, or similar off? I could have probably have hit a tomato that was glued to a target, so there has to be some greater dynamic. Also I know there are knife throwers that could hit targets on a rotating wheel, I actually think that would be easier since the wheel has a fixed rotation.

Finally, how to Harald Moeller's knives compare to other custom throwing knives? I've handled some of Harald's stuff and almost bought some, but not quite.
 
If the tomato was reaaallllyyyyy big I might be able to.

I have been making a knife sinilar to what Willie Garvin uses in the old Modesty Blaise novels ( made 3 so far ) and I like them.

Never thrown a viper yet.

Knifesmith
 
Can't say I have ever read one of those novels. What does the knife look like? Actually out here in Norway they have Modesty Blaise as a comic book, but I've never picked one up to read it. Can you post a picture?
 
In a similar vein of thought...Do you all's remember an old movie with Steve McQeen where he is a knife specialist and makes bets on who is faster, the guy with a gun, or Steve with his knife. In the one scene that I have never been able to forget for 3 decades, the gun slinger refuses to believe that the knife would have killed him before he could draw and shoot. Steve settles the argument by using an underhand throw that impales the gun slingers fore head.
Is this even remotely possible, or just Hollywood hype? Seems like an underhand throw just wouldn't have the power to pierce a skull.
Any one shed some light, yea or nay on this?
Rad
 
Hi

First the Garvin type knife is about nine inches long 1/8" thick. Blade 5 1/2"
handle 3 1/2" In the novels it has a fillet of brass on the blade like the old bowies ( blade is a clip bowie style also ) and a bone handle. Mine have ( or will have ) leather handlesand no fillet of brass ( cant drill these )

Handle is short because it is designed for concealed carry. I find that they throw well for me so I like them.

Second the Steve movie do you know the name?

Knifesmith
 
The Steve McQeen movie was, uh, it was...Junior Bonner 72 with Peckinpah directing, or maybe the original Magnificent seven. 30 years ago, things are a bit fuzzy sometimes.
Rad
 
It was Yul Brenner in The Magnifiecent Seven (original) he used a old Stilleto switchblade.
 
As to the possibility of the forehead impalement with the underhand throw... The underhand motion definitely has the potential to produce quite a bit of power. After all the fastest pitch ever clocked was by a fast pitch softball pitcher underhanded. Something like 108 MPH or so.
 
The movie with the duel between the knife thrower and the gun fighter was The Magnificent Seven, (which apparently there is a remake of coming out) and it was James Coburn who threw the knife, I'm pretty sure. I'm a little skeptical of an underhand throw actually penetrating someones skull. Granted that there are fast pitch softball pitchers that can get into the 80 MPH range, but that requires a pretty serious windup and striding action. What I remember was that it was more of a flick movement. I also remember that it was a long stilleto folding knife, I think a lock back, but I can't remember.

I actually used to practice, with my brother, standing back to a target, with knife in hand and spinning around and throwing as quickly as we could get it to stick. Never really got much under about 2.5 seconds and still get it to stick in the target. Misses or throws that didn't stick didn't count.

There never really was any intent for it to be a self defense or "tactical" drill of any kind, it was just a variant on throwing to give us a little competition against each other. It was kind of fun.
 
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