Is there good whip work in Indiana Jones films?
A. Of course there is, but keep in mind that much of the whip work you see in the original Indiana Jones trilogy is more camera trickery than whip artistry. Harrison Ford learned how to look believable with the whip but he’s not an expert of course. That’s why they created stunt men and camera tricks. For example, while it is possible to swing on a whip, the odds of getting that perfect tension-making wrap are pretty high, not to mention that kangaroo-hide Indy-style whips are just not typically built to support weight and in motion they have torque and other stresses to support. If you do manage to get it to wrap and hold it may likely break when you put your weight on it – generally near or at the fall keeper knot – and it will usually stretch to the point of ruin. Plus, how will you get it down? If it wrapped that tightly, that little ‘wrist flick’ you see Indy do in the movies will likely not loosen it up.
