What is Indy best at? Gun, Whip or Fists?

Montana Smith

Active member
oki9Sedo said:
He's not trained, but he can hold his own against guys much bigger than him.

So does a punch bag. But after that sucker's been hanging up for 60-70 years, it's liable to get the stuffing knocked out of it. :whip:
 

oki9Sedo

New member
Montana Smith said:
So does a punch bag. But after that sucker's been hanging up for 60-70 years, it's liable to get the stuffing knocked out of it. :whip:

Well even at 58 he holds his own against Dovchenko, who's heavier, stronger, has longer reach, and a career soldier. He does indeed get his ass handed to him by Dovchenko, but he does MUCH better than he should given these discrepencies, getting lots of punches in. He's naturally good at scrapping.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
oki9Sedo said:
Well even at 58 he holds his own against Dovchenko, who's heavier, stronger, has longer reach, and a career soldier. He does indeed get his ass handed to him by Dovchenko, but he does MUCH better than he should given these discrepencies, getting lots of punches in. He's naturally good at scrapping.

When it comes to hand-to-hand combat Indy's works best in a tag team.

Some of his best team-ups have been with an aircraft propeller, a rock crusher, a ship's propeller, a cliff, ants...
 

oki9Sedo

New member
Montana Smith said:
When it comes to hand-to-hand combat Indy's works best in a tag team.

Some of his best team-ups have been with an aircraft propeller, a rock crusher, a ship's propeller, a cliff, ants...

Oh he wins all those fights because of environmental circumstances, but he also does alot better than he should in all of them based on the discrepancy between him and his opponents prior to those things helping him out. I still think he's a naturally good fighter.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
oki9Sedo said:
Oh he wins all those fights because of environmental circumstances, but he also does alot better than he should in all of them based on the discrepancy between him and his opponents prior to those things helping him out. I still think he's a naturally good fighter.

I'd describe him more as a survivor. He gets himself into these seemingly impossible fixes, and he either thinks of something quickly, or something just presents itself. And he survives.

The more of the old serials I watch, the more Indy resembles their protagonists. Each fight for Indy is a cliffhanger, but he's bound to survive, because that's the nature of those scripts.

You could cut Raiders at the point where Indy is looking stunned and lost during his scrap with the Mechanic, and begin again with a new chapter as the propeller comes into play.

The same could be done during the Dovchenko rumble in the jungle. Cut before Indy finds the tree branch, because at that point it looks hopeless for him. It was a similar situation when he fought Dovchenko on the rocket sled - Indy was on the point of choking to death before he found the rocket ignition button.
 
Montana Smith said:
It's significant that he's trained himself to finish situations quickly, before they turn bad and he has to draw on his luck. As with dispatching that poser, the Cairo Swordsman.

And when he has no gun, things do go badly, as in Temple of Doom.
He does take care of Barranca pretty well with the whip though!
 

oki9Sedo

New member
Montana Smith said:
I'd describe him more as a survivor. He gets himself into these seemingly impossible fixes, and he either thinks of something quickly, or something just presents itself. And he survives.

The more of the old serials I watch, the more Indy resembles their protagonists. Each fight for Indy is a cliffhanger, but he's bound to survive, because that's the nature of those scripts.

You could cut Raiders at the point where Indy is looking stunned and lost during his scrap with the Mechanic, and begin again with a new chapter as the propeller comes into play.

The same could be done during the Dovchenko rumble in the jungle. Cut before Indy finds the tree branch, because at that point it looks hopeless for him. It was a similar situation when he fought Dovchenko on the rocket sled - Indy was on the point of choking to death before he found the rocket ignition button.

Absolutely, he wins many of these fights because of luck and environmental circumstances favouring him, but he also holds his own very well with his fighting skills (he gets the upper hand against Dovchenko and the Thuggee Chief Guard a few times, and defeats multiple opponents on a number of occasions eg. four Russian soldiers in the jeep in the jungle)

On a side note, he defeats Dovchenko on the rocket sled by choking him with his legs and kicking him in the face - thats a fight he wins by himself.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
oki9Sedo said:
On a side note, he defeats Dovchenko on the rocket sled by choking him with his legs and kicking him in the face - thats a fight he wins by himself.

In Rollins' novel Indy's on the point of death when he hits the ignition.

That book beats the movie at every turn. Having it in my mind makes the film easier to watch.
 
Montana Smith said:
That's why I go for the whip. It's the skill that makes him a little more unique.
Ultimately I'd say he's pretty evenly adept across the board.

Not great, not bad...skilled enough to get the job done.

I like that.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Rocket Surgeon said:
Ultimately I'd say he's pretty evenly adept across the board.

Not great, not bad...skilled enough to get the job done.

I like that.

Nice that they avoided going with the idea of the Man With No Name super-hero skill-set.
 

Billy Ray

Well-known member
Grimdiana Bones said:
poor shooter, pssh! He killed like 3 nazis with one bullet from a luger! ;)

Didn't they do this on Mythbusters? I want to say it wound up being busted, but I could be wrong.

I'll have to go back and check, but I think it says something in the Complete Making of Indiana Jones book about Indy being a notoriusly bad shot, or at least that being the original intention.
 
Billy Ray said:
Didn't they do this on Mythbusters? I want to say it wound up being busted, but I could be wrong.

I'll have to go back and check, but I think it says something in the Complete Making of Indiana Jones book about Indy being a notoriusly bad shot, or at least that being the original intention.
There was a time that he was supposed to be a bad shot, but if thats the case I don't see it, He certainly hits the mark, (moving target or not) in Raiders!

Its not until Crusade that he can't hit the broadside of a barn...
 

oki9Sedo

New member
Rocket Surgeon said:
There was a time that he was supposed to be a bad shot, but if thats the case I don't see it, He certainly hits the mark, (moving target or not) in Raiders!

Its not until Crusade that he can't hit the broadside of a barn...

Its all about how good one is RELATIVE to other people with the same level of training and experience.

Shooting? He doesn't seem the best, given his experience. Should he have been able to hit Vogel even on horseback at that range with at least one of the several shots he fired? I would think so.

Whip? I have no idea if he's good with it or not, relative to people with the same training and experience, because I know nothing about whipcraft.

Fists? He's a natural. He's a strong, smart, vicious hand-to-hand fighter who uses his wits and instincts. He can hold his own against people he shouldn't be able to hold his own against, like the huge, trained career soldier Dovchenko, or the even bigger Chief Guard, in spite of having minimal, if any, hand-to-hand combat training. Maybe he had a small amount in preparation for WWI, I don't know. Irrespective, he's a natural.
 
Last edited:
oki9Sedo said:
Its all about how good one is RELATIVE to other people with the same level of training and experience.
No doubt, but how can we know either of those things?

oki9Sedo said:
Shooting? He doesn't seem the best, given his experience. Should he have been able to hit Vogel even on horseback at that range with at least one of the several shots he fired? I would think so.
I would think so too. But maybe Montana can give us a bit of detail regarding the accuracy of the Webly. Keeping this Indiana Jones-y, Wyatt Earp made it clear, if you want to hit anything a pistol is just a noise maker. You'd need a rifle.

Indiana was absolutely a better shot with American made products...

oki9Sedo said:
Whip? I have no idea if he's good with it or not, relative to people with the same training and experience, because I know nothing about whipcraft.
It did what he wanted it to right?

oki9Sedo said:
Fists? He's a natural. He's a strong, smart, vicious hand-to-hand fighter who uses his wits and instincts. He can hold his own against people he shouldn't be able to hold his own against, like the huge, trained career soldier Dovchenko, or the even bigger Chief Guard, in spite of having minimal, if any, hand-to-hand combat training. Maybe he had a small amount in preparation for WWI, I don't know. Irrespective, he's a natural.
Seems to me he's a quick study and he does what he thinks he must.

Makes you wonder if they didn't screw with the voodoo crap how the conveyor belt fight might have been better.

The stabbing pain was certainly fitting in hindsight.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Rocket Surgeon said:
I would think so too. But maybe Montana can give us a bit of detail regarding the accuracy of the Webly. Keeping this Indiana Jones-y, Wyatt Earp made it clear, if you want to hit anything a pistol is just a noise maker. You'd need a rifle.

Indiana was absolutely a better shot with American made products...

The Webley Mk VI is reputed to be an accurate weapon.

Here's part of a firsthand report:

Speaking of accuracy, the Webley is on par with any full-size 1911 frame handgun, and I have reliably hit targets at 50 yards. An officer was expected to fire with his troops during volley fire during the 1880s, and the Webley was capable of hits out to 100 yards. At usual handgun engagement ranges of 25 yards or less, the Webley will print 3″ groups in single action with little effort. At 10 yards, double action will at least score you hits in the center mass area. Rapid fire, thumbing the hammer to single action, I have managed to do 6 round groups of 2″ at 10 yards on a regular basis.

Stopping power is one of the few places were ?experts? will question the .455 cartridge. It is a short-box cartridge that speeds a 265 grain soft conical bullet (this is the Fiocchi load ? pretty much all you?ll find commercially, although Hornady is doing a Webley round, now, as well) to 650-660fps. The muzzle energy is lower than a .45ACP by a bit and is on par with a 9mm round; recoil is mild, aiding in follow-up shots. Despite the lower energies, this is a big, heavy bullet and was plenty effective in combat. For a while, the British military was obsessed with ?knockdown?, and the .455 was considered highly reliable in stopping a target.

However, hitting anything from a galloping horse with a handgun seems, to twist a pun, like a long shot. Luck must play a big part in whether that tiny projectile hits the object you're aiming for.
 
Montana Smith said:
The Webley Mk VI is reputed to be an accurate weapon. Here's part of a firsthand report
Great post, seems to be a question regarding conversions and high-pressure cartridges.


Montana Smith said:
However, hitting anything from a galloping horse with a handgun seems, to twist a pun, like a long shot. Luck must play a big part in whether that tiny projectile hits the object you're aiming for.

He got the top of the turret, right?
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Rocket Surgeon said:
Would have been a great way of pissing him off! Just a flesh wound mind you...but it would have ruined his uniform!

Just imagine Vogel's impassioned rage if that happened.

Von Stalhein might have something more to say on that subject...
 
Top