History Main / ShootTheRope

* In Issue 12 of ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Knuckles the Echidna]]'', an echidna is going to hung at the gallows. Archer Rob o' the Hedge shoots an arrow to cut the rope at the last second, while Sonic catches him as he falls through the hole in the floor of the gallows.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' boasts "Serpent's Tongue Arrows", special arrows with a wide, forked head that do slashing as well as piercing damage. They are mentioned as being effective for cutting ropes, but cost twice as much. Then again, since arrows are pretty much VendorTrash, that's not such a big deal.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_f5NGpMq4 Jerry Miculek]] has demonstrated that it is possible to shoot through a rope under tension with a rifle. However, when he attempted the feat with a revolver, the bullet deflected off of the rope.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_f5NGpMq4 Jerry Miculek]] has demonstrated it is possible to shoot through a rope under tension but only with a rifle. When he attempted the feat with a revolver, the bullet deflected off the rope.

* In the ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' fic [[http://www.fireflyfans.net/bluesun.aspx?bid=22158 The Execution of Jayne Cobb]], Mal saves a condemned Jayne this way. Except he totally misses shooting at the rope itself and ultimately uses an incendiary round to destroy the part of the beam that holds the rope.

* ''{{Firefly}}'' ''Big Damn Heroes'' has Jayne shooting a rope to save Mal, who’s being hanged by some angry Browncoats with a grudge. He misses the first shot and has to shoot again to get Mal loose.

* This is one of the methods used to rescue dangling POWs in ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''.

* In Issue 12 of ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Knuckles the Echidna]]'', an echidna is goign to hung at the gallows. Archer Rob o' the Hedge shoots an arrow to cut the rope at the last second.

* In issue 12 of ''[[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Knuckles the Echidna]]'', an echidna is goign to hung at the gallows. Archer Rob o' the Hedge shoots an arrow to cut the rope at the last second.

* Mal shoots through a rope attached to a Reaver spear to get Jayne loose in ''{{Series/Firefly}}''. It takes three tries to get the shot to hit.

The hero's been [[PublicExecution led to the gallows]] and is about to do the metaphorical "hemp fandango". He looks pretty much boned, right? Nope, TheCavalry! They'll save him by [[ImprobableAimingSkills splitting the rope]] on the noose with a well-timed arrow (or a blade, or a bullet, if the time period's a bit later), just as he's about to take a long drop on a short rope. Oh, and bonus points if this dramatically super accurate shot comes directly after a firefight in which ATeamFiring was in full effect. A subtrope of ImprobableAimingSkills.

* A 'Slash the Rope' variant happens in the pilot episode of ''Series/QueenOfSwords'', with the masked heroine [[HoresbackHeroism charging the gallows on a galloping horse]] to cut the rope with her sword as the executioner is kicking the stool out from under the victim.

* ''Series/WynonnaEarp'': Wynonna does to this save Waverly from being lynched by the reveants in "Purgatory: using Peacemaker to shoot out the block and tackle they are using to string her up.

* After the ''ComicBook/ZeroHour'' storyline, this was revealed as [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]]'s [[MyGreatestFailure Greatest Failure]]. In his early days, Dick as Robin had to save Batman and the DA who replaced Harvey Dent after his transformation into Two-Face from a deathtrap the aforementioned villain had made. Dick thought it was easy - cut the rope when the trap was sprung. [[spoiler: He didn't realize that Two-Face's deathtraps followed his ''modus operandi'' - he saved the DA from hanging, only to drop him into the ocean below.]]

* ''Film/WildWestDays'': An extraordinary example of ImpropableAimingSkills. Larry is being dragged to his death by a horse. The hero, Kentucky Wade, sees this happening, and shoots through the rope with a rifle--from the next hill, at least a couple hundred yards away.

* Walker uses this trope in ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' to save [[spoiler: Lugo from being lynched by an angry mob. It doesn't work; Walker manages to sever the rope, but Lugo dies anyway.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', Rockstar's spiritual successor to ''VideoGame/RedDeadRevolver'' as well as its [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2 prequel]], uses this often in some side missions and at least once in the story campaigns.

* The second level of the PS1 game ''Gunfighter: The Legend of Jesse James'' starts with your friend Cole all tied up to a horse, with his neck attached around a noose. You will need to execute a QuickTimeEvent by shooting the rope in 5 seconds using only one bullet, or else Cole dies and you get an instant NonStandardGameOver.