Question about movie knife Fights (1 Viewer)

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Seems in every movie as the bad guy threatens either our hero or the  hero's love interest or female family member that the tosses the knife back and forth between his hands to both be menacing and to demonstrate his mastery.  I don't get it.  Is tossing an object a few inches between hands some sort of difficult skill?  Is tossing an object back and forth some sort of common Jungian archetypal threat to women?  What is up with the whole tossing back and forth thing?  We all know, in the end, that the villain is going to attack with the knife in his dominate hand.

 

[pantagrapher]

Seems in every movie as the bad guy threatens either our hero or the  hero's love interest or female family member that the tosses the knife back and forth between his hands to both be menacing and to demonstrate his mastery.  I don't get it.  Is tossing an object a few inches between hands some sort of difficult skill?  Is tossing an object back and forth some sort of common Jungian archetypal threat to women?  What is up with the whole tossing back and forth thing?  We all know, in the end, that the villain is going to attack with the knife in his dominate hand.

Aha, but which is his dominant hand? Left? Right? You just don't know until— STAB, you're dead.

 

[arrow1]

Link

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Aha, but which is his dominant hand? Left? Right? You just don't know until— STAB, you're dead.

I presume that he draws the knife with his dominant hand.  Even when they don't the villain does an exposition while brandishing and pointing the knife with his dominant hand.  Then their is the fact that he settles on the hand before coming forward. 

Whenever I see this cliché scene it puts me off.  also, most of the actors look so uncomfortable doing the move as to be cringeworthy.

 

[thayman]

Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.

Man in Black: Thank you; I've worked hard to become so.

Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.

Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?

Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don't know.

Man in Black: And what is that?

Inigo Montoya: I... am not left-handed.

[Moves his sword to his right hand and gains an advantage]

Man in Black: You are amazing.

Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.

Man in Black: Oh, there's something I ought to tell you.

Inigo Montoya: Tell me.

Man in Black: I'm not left-handed either.

[Moves his sword to his right hand and regains his advantage]

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

I can only assume it is to display the knife-wielder's dexterity and skill with said weapon. However, the opposition is most likely going to bring a gun to the knife fight, thus rendering the dexterous display null and void. See above arrow1's link above as Exhibit #1. 

 

[rascal]

It scares me when I see that.  That's why I bring a gun.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Inigo Montoya: You are wonderful.

Man in Black: Thank you; I've worked hard to become so.

Inigo Montoya: I admit it, you are better than I am.

Man in Black: Then why are you smiling?

Inigo Montoya: Because I know something you don't know.

Man in Black: And what is that?

Inigo Montoya: I... am not left-handed.

[Moves his sword to his right hand and gains an advantage]

Man in Black: You are amazing.

Inigo Montoya: I ought to be, after 20 years.

Man in Black: Oh, there's something I ought to tell you.

Inigo Montoya: Tell me.

Man in Black: I'm not left-handed either.

[Moves his sword to his right hand and regains his advantage]

Terrible

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Rules? In a knife fight? No rules!

 

[rockaction]

What always gets me about S.E. Hinton-esque knife fights is that the participants will always move in a circle, generally in a counterclockwise motion. It's almost imperative that their eyes are bugged out like they've just taken ten hits of meth, too.  

 

[Doug B]

Seems in every movie as the bad guy threatens either our hero or the hero's love interest or female family member that the tosses the knife back and forth between his hands to both be menacing and to demonstrate his mastery.

Works fine as a dominance display when the bad guys is showing off to someone he's got the drop on, or to someone who can't fight back for whatever reason.

Against Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, or Jean-Claude Van Damme? Forget it -- bad guy will be eating that knife.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

What always gets me about S.E. Hinton-esque knife fights is that the participants will always move in a circle, generally in a counterclockwise motion. It's almost imperative that their eyes are bugged out like they've just taken ten hits of meth, too.  

Hinton's stories take place in Oklahoma, no?

 

[belljr]

Try it, it's harder than it looks

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I usually do a cartwheel or two before we get started. Half of the time it scares him/her away. 

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Now that you mention it, I think the knife fight in the Beat It video may have taken some dramatic license too.

 

[Jayrok]

Awesomest fight scene ever... Knives inside!

 

[rockaction]

Awesomest fight scene ever... Knives inside!

Sparks flew in that one. 

Do they even lift, bro? 

 

[Jayrok]

Sparks flew in that one. 

Do they even lift, bro? 

All the time, brotein shake.

 

[timschochet]

I like the West Side Story knife fight: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=El9d0lgh3vQ

I think knife fights are better when there's ballet dancing involved. 

 

[Jobber]

Slightly related, and even worse, is the old cliche blow-to-the-head knockout move. 

 

[NCCommish]

I like the West Side Story knife fight: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=El9d0lgh3vQ

I think knife fights are better when there's ballet dancing involved. 

Isn't everything though?

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Isn't everything though?

Solid point.

 

[Boston]

I would think like Club Lacrosse or AAU Hoops that young knife-fighters learn at an early age that if they have any hope of knife-fighting in college they need to be proficient with both hands...

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

I would think like Club Lacrosse or AAU Hoops that young knife-fighters learn at an early age that if they have any hope of knife-fighting in college they need to be proficient with both hands...

I had not taken that into account.  Good point.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Do monkeys do this when they engage in knife fights?

 

[NCCommish]

Do monkeys do this when they engage in knife fights?

The only one I remember seeing did.

 

[strykerpks]

I do the same thing with my wiener before we do the hibbity dibbity. Really gets the wife in the mood

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Rules? In a knife fight? No rules!

OK, then someone say 1-2-3 go.

1-2-3 go.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRdIltdDE4A Simpson's Monkey Knife fight