This sequence made me laugh so hard, by the way Scudder put his foot on the knife once Jonas dropped it i was like " you glad he bought your bluff right!?"
shareHaven't read the books but looking at the other confrontations he has later in the movie and taking into account Jonas' dim wittedness, I'd say it was highly possible
shareWell he does have a "particular set of skills"
shareHe probably had a decent chance, he probably trained for such things. He might not have been unscathed but he was up against an out of shape "weirdo" who wasn't committed.
Obviously he did the "100% certainty" bluff to intimidate him and not have to take the chance.
Jonas was a big guy, and he was taller than Scudder! So I questioned that as well. But how confidently he claimed he would take the knife and stick him in the neck AND showed no fear, it forced Jonas to reassess his decision quickly! In my life experience I have found how you word things and the body language you show can seriously change the outcomes and interactions with people. If you can cause an aggressor to have some doubt, chances are they will leave you alone.
The actor that played Jonas, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is stated as being 6'4.5" tall
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0959963/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t24
Liam Neeson is stated as 6'4" tall
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000553/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1
But in the film, Jonas looked a few inches taller than Scudder to me, not to mention having a hundred pounds on Neeson. So it would have alarmed me seeing him holding the big knife, and blocking the only door, whether he was out of shape or not!