History Main / HangingByTheFingers

%%* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Tweety does the "A Hare Grows in Manhattan" routine (see below) to Eddie Valiant.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'': Mufasa, and later Simba are in this position.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* ''ComicBook/TraggAndTheSkyGods'': In #6, Keera is fighting a DuelToTheDeath against Lorn. She lunges at Lorn, but Lorn dodges and Keera plunges into a pit lined with SpikesOfDoom. She manages to grab hold of a tiny handhold on the wall and is left dangling above the spikes before Tragg and Lorn show mercy and [[TakeMyHand offer to pull her up]].

[[folder:Films — Animated]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSteamEnginesOfOz'': Oscar ends up hanging by his fingers when he falls off the side of the munchkins' invisible bridge.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
%%* The losing grip variety happens in ''Film/ALittlePrincess''.

%%* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Tweety does the "A Hare Grows in Manhattan" routine (see below) to Eddie Valiant.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYZsJYZVt5g In]] ''Film/KingKong2005'', Kong hangs briefly by his fingers off a cliff before being dragged down by the V-rex that grabbed his leg.
* ''Film/StarTrek2009'': Kirk gets thrown off the edge of the drill during the fight but manages to grab the edge and hang on. A mook tries to stomp him off, but Sulu stabs him just in time.
* Creator/MelBrooks's ''Film/HighAnxiety'' parodies this. In a climactic scene the protagonist (played by Brooks) has a slipping hold on a ledge until he is improbably hanging on by a single fingertip. Once he gets a morale boost from another character he manages to regain his hold and climb up.
* ''Film/TheBrainStealers'' have this happening to the heroine from the top of the Tokyo Tower. She nearly falls, too, but her partner managed to flip the mook pulling a HandStomp on her over the railings and grab her hand.

* In ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', Cary Grant is hanging off Mt. Rushmore by his fingers (while holding up Eva Marie Saint with his other hand). Bad guy Martin Landau presses down on his fingers with his shoe only [[spoiler:to be shot right off the cliff]]. How the heroes get back up is kind of glossed over.

* In ''Film/ChaiLaiAngelsDangerousFlowers'', Chen escapes being run over by Mei Ling by jumping over the edge of the down ramp in the car park. He catches on to one of the lower levels and is hanging there by his fingertips when Mei Ling stops the car and starts shooting at him.

* One of the most nail-biting moments of the action film, ''Film/{{Skyscraper}}'', which has Will Sawyer (The Rock) clinging to dear life with his fingers from the top of the titular skyscraper, which is said to be as tall as the Burj Khalifa. This scene is depicted clearly in the film's poster.
* In ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum1991'', Antonio is left hanging by one foot when Mendoza accidentally triggers the opening mechanism for the pit. He manages to swing up, undo the binding holding his foot, and catch the lip of the pit with his other hand. This leaves him dangling by on hand and the cover on the pit slowly closes.
* During the climax of ''Film/DoctorJekyllAndSisterHyde'', Dr. Jekyll attempts to escape from the police over the rooftops. He slips and falls and winds up hanging from the fingers from the gutters.
* In ''Film/ShootOutAtMedicineBend'', Devlin falls into the PitTrap in Clark's office, but he manages to grab hold of the lip of the trap and slowly haul himself out.

* Parker in ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' does this on occasion on the show. In one instance, when she surprises a foe with a NeckLift, she explains that regular use of this trope in her role as a ClassyCatBurglar has made her ''a lot'' stronger than she looks.
* Tested on ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'', and was deemed plausible that you could support your weight by your fingertips for a short time, though if you wanted to be pulled up, help would need to come VERY quickly. It's notably one of the only times [[IronButtMonkey Tory]] had been hurt: he smashed his knee on a window ledge during the experiment and required stitches.

* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': "Love Taps" opens with the VictimOfTheWeek dangling by his fingertips off a cliff face. The killer slowly grinds their foot on each of his hands till he loses his grip and plunges to his doom.

* ''Fiendish Freddy's Big Top 'O Fun'', in the tight Rope Act. If you lose your balance, the acrobat grabs hold, and Freddy picks the fingers one by one. Although Freddy sometimes speeds up the trope by smashing the hand with a hammer.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin1991'': In "[[Recap/TintinTintinInAmerica Tintin in America]]", Tintin loses his footing when moving from one window to another in order to attack a bandit guarding his door. He manages to pull himself up. Note that in the comic, he crosses the gap without incident.

A character is holding onto a ledge or rope by their fingers. One by one, each finger loses its grip. To ramp up the tension, the ledge or rope may be wet , or rain is falling. Or someone or something may peel the fingers off manually.

Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death, giving a satisfying [[AnAesop moral]] about how "crime does not pay". Villains in kids' movies have a high propensity to [[DisneyVillainDeath lose their grip and fall to their dooom]], because MoralGuardians find it more acceptable than having a scene where the hero stabs the villain ten times.

Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death, giving a satisfying [[AnAesop moral]] about how "crime does not pay". Villains in kids movies have a high propensity to lose their grip and fall to their dooom in a DisneyVillainDeath, because MoralGuardians find it more acceptable than having a scene where the hero stabs the villain to death.

If they do fall, their [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou death isn't certain if they are a hero]], especially if they are "wearing" PlotArmor. If they need to survive for plot purposes, they may [[FridgeLogic grab a vine/gutter/drainpipe in mid-air]] or land on a conveniently-present soft surface (bales of hay in a PeriodPiece or a [[TrashLanding pile of garbage bags]] in modern stories). Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death, giving a satisfying [[AnAesop moral]] about how "crime does not pay".

If they do fall, their death isn't certain if they are a hero "wearing" PlotArmor. If they need to survive for plot purposes, they may miraculously grab a vine/gutter/drainpipe or land on a conveniently-present soft surface (bales of hay in a PeriodPiece or a [[TrashLanding pile of garbage bags]] in modern stories). Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death, giving a satisfying [[AnAesop moral]] about how "crime does not pay".

If they do fall, their death isn't certain if they are a hero "wearing" PlotArmor. If they need to survive for plot purposes, they may miraculously grab a vine or land on a conveniently-present soft surface (bales of hay in a PeriodPiece or a pile of garbage bags in modern stories). Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death, giving a satisfying [[AnAesop moral]] about how "crime does not pay".

If PlayedForComedy, the rescuer may themselves fall and have to be grabbed by an even stronger person.

If they do fall, their death isn't certain if they are a hero "wearing" PlotArmor. If they need to survive for plot purposes, they may miraculously grab a vine or land on a conveniently-present soft surface (bales of hay in a PeriodPiece or a pile of garbage bags in modern stories). Villains who are dangling by their fingers near the end of a story (when they have no PlotArmor) may lose their grip and plummet to their death in a satisfying AnAesop about how "crime does not pay".

If they do fall, thier death isn't certain if they are a hero "wearing" PlotArmor. If they need to survive for plot purposes, they may miraculously grab a vine or land on a conveniently-present soft surface (bales of hay in a PeriodPiece or a pile of garbage bags in modern stories).

A character is holding onto a ledge or rope by their fingers. One by one, each finger loses its grip or someone or something peels them off manually.

The trope is often paired with a villain at the ledge [[HandStomp stomping on their hands]] or peeling the finger off. When there isn't a villain around, another hero will try to grasp their hands. If PlayedForComedy, the rescuer may themselves fall and have to be grabbed by an even stronger person.

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' sees the Heart of Gold materialise in what Ford and Zaphod initially take to be a massive chilly marble cave. When the floor of the cave tips under them and sends them skidding towards the entrance, they realise they are in fact several miles above the surface of the bleak planet of Brontitall. [[note]]they are in fact in the plastic cup part of a hyper-massive memorial statue celebrating Arthur Dent Throwing The Cup Back At The Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser, the symbolic act that caused humanity to rebel against dependence on robots and machines[[/note]]. Zaphod ends up danging by his fingertips on the rim of the Cup, [[UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}} swearing terribly at Ford]], who is not disposed to assist on the grounds that there's no point.

* ''Webcomic/HitmenForDestiny'' has one character grabbing hold of a ledge inside the invisible castle, and calling for help. The drop isn't lethal.

* The climax of ''Anime/DoraemonGreatAdventureInTheAntarcticKachiKochi'' have Doraemon, stranded in the past (100,000 years ago!) after being blown away from the Time Belt, clinging for life on a ledge with a drop several hundreds of meters below him as the monster Blizarga, intending to turn the world into a frozen wasteland, freezes the whole city in the back. Thankfully, in the present Nobita (thanks to his new sidekick Mofusuke) managed to collect the spare Time Belt battery hidden 100,000 years ago and bring everyone back to the past, just in time to catch Doraemon as he fell.

* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett''. Fennec literally gets the drop on Black Krrsantan by opening the trapdoor to the rancor pit under him, but he catches the ledge at the last moment. Fennec solves this problem by pulling a throwing knife out of her rifle's stock and pegging Krrsantan in the hand.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'': In the battle against Krauser, Leon ends up hanging over the side of a ruin by his fingers. Krauser ends up stomping on them.
* Leon ends up hanging by his fingers again in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', this time off of a bridge. He's trying to get a better grip with his other hand, but [[spoiler:Simmons]] keeps kicking it away all the while [[HandStomp crushing his fingers]].

** Macy in the ActionPrologue, after trying to fight TheDragon, Lung, to no avail and ending up being flung over a set of railings. Since Lung is the {{Sadist}}, his HandStomp method is to gleefully bends down to [[KnifeNut drive his knife]] ''slowly'' underneath [[{{Fingore}} Macy's fingernails]], slowly tormenting her until the pain gives away causing her to fall to her death.

%%* The losing grip variety happens in the movie version of ''Literature/ALittlePrincess''.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', in the battle against Krauser. He prefers stomping on the fingers.
** Happens again in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', [[spoiler:Simmons]] enjoys stomping on fingers too.
* ''Fiendish Freddy's Big Top 'O Fun'', in the tight Rope Act. If you lose your balance, the acrobat grabs hold, and Freddy picks the fingers one by one. Although Freddy sometimes speeds up the trope by smashing the hand with a hammer.

* Nathan Drake does this in the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' series to no obvious issue. He can even grab ledges while falling, which would surely not work in RealLife.

* In ''VideoGame/JediAcademy'', the rancor mission's cutscene starts with [[PlayerCharacter Jaden Korr]] hanging over a big pit from the edge of a pipe-like tunnel leading into the enemy base. (For some reason. Maybe (s)he jumped and got it wrong.) (S)he loses grip with one hand first, but then, being a Jedi, stops fooling around and pulls her/himself up with a jump ending in a flip.
* Used as Juno's "ledge hanging" animation in Jet Force Gemini. His sister, Vela, hangs on to a ledge with two hands unlike him.

* The opening scene of ''Film/{{Azumi}}: Death or Love'', have Azumi fleeing from a band of ninjas after her life, where she ends up diving off a cliff and hanging by it's side on one hand. Complete with a panty shot as the camera pans upwards...

* The opening scene of ''Film/{{Azumi}}: Death or Love'', have Azumi fleeing from a band of ninjas after her life, where she ends up diving off a cliff and hanging by it's side on one hand. Complete with a PantyShot as the camera pans upwards...

* In ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/ThePhantomZone'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} stops herself from falling right into the Disintegration Pit's radioactive flames by clinging to the giant cauldron's walls. Her fingers rip into the metal and tear a long gash in the shaft as she falls, but she manages to slow down her descent.

* ''Anime/DeltoraQuest'' anime has Dain first stomp on Leif's fingers while he's hanging over the edge, then help him back up, only so he can taunt him and fight him some more.