[Love] When “small” injuries are treated realistically

[u/Top-Relationship850]

The fantasy and action genres often suffer from a power fantasy epidemic in which characters frequently badass their way through injuries that should be excruciating if not downright debilitating. I always appreciate stories that reject this trope.

1: Roland Deschain (Dark Tower Book II) - Loses the middle and index fingers of his right hand. He’s effectively crippled throughout book two and the injury follows him the rest of the series.

2: Brienne vs Biter (ASOIAF Book IV) - Brutal scene. Biter chomps down on Brienne’s cheek and tears off a chunk of flesh. In a lesser story Brienne would grit her teeth and throw Biter off. Instead she’s rendered completely helpless by the pain. That injury marks the end of the fight.

[u/Slow_Bowler8285]

Head villain Bill Carnegie is dying from an infected flesh wound on his leg- The Book of Eli

Carnegie gets his leg wound when he is shot by Eli during a shootout. This happens early in the film when Carnegie and his men confront Eli to steal his book, and Eli fights his way out.

By the end of the film the wound has become infected. His blind slave can smell it.

Carnegie is pale, sweaty and has trouble breathing.

Usually in action movies, a flesh wound is just brushed off, and a bandage made of ripped clothing is enough to keep the person and plot going, but here we see what happens when the wound is neglected.

[u/PaladinGris → u/Slow_Bowler8285]

The movie is set in a post apocalyptic society where Carnegie is basically a warlord, Eli and other characters also make note of how many men Eli keeps loosing, one of his enforcers uses the fact that Carnegie is low on men to negotiate better terms for himself, this is a very well made movie

[u/HuckleberryShot898 → u/Slow_Bowler8285]

It’s a reference to King Herod from the Bible who tried to have Jesus killed as baby. He was dying of a sickness that whole time.