Please remove if this is not the right sub. Wasn't sure if I should post here or some kind of medical sub.

​

The questions relates the way, on the big screen, soldiers seem to take a single blow to the chest (with a suit of armor and on) and simple die before even touching the ground. The result usually ends up with 100's of dead bodies pilling up straight away with very few actually injured soldiers which logically you would expect to happen. I mean a sword blow to the body would devastating of course but would they usually be instantly lethal?

​

The same could well apply to wars with older rifles. You see in films that a soldier takes a shot to the body and they're eyes shut instantly and they drop to the floor dead. In modern times even if someone is shot or stabbed they're usually at least alive at the time of arrival at the hospital and even then a lot still survive them (granted we have significantly better medial care now) but they don't mostly die at the scene.

​

Overall I feel that they make the instant leathalness of historic battles higher than it was in reality. I'd imagine the battles were much more brutal to be a part of as the majority of people didn't die instantly but actually die over a longer period bleeding out and screaming although that my assumption I could be very wrong and underestimating the power of a long-sword.