Spiros G. Frangos, MD, MPH, knows a thing or two about trauma. As a senior trauma surgeon at NYU Langone Health and director of trauma and critical care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, he has seen firsthand the effects of gunshots, car accidents, and other serious, life-threatening events. He was the perfect person for Vulture to turn to for a video episode of its series Expert Witness examining how injuries are depicted in some of the top action films.

“It certainly was not the typical commentary I provide for a media story,” Dr. Frangos says. “Usually I’m asked to comment on a breaking news story, such as how someone will recover from a fall. This opportunity provided a bit of escapism. It also was an opportunity to revisit some classic movies, which was quite fun.”

Dr. Frangos rated the believability of injuries from such popular movies as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Gangs of New York, The Matrix, Kill Bill: Volume 1, and even the comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. “Most of what was portrayed in these films greatly underestimated the extent of potential injuries or what exactly would happen if the injury was real,” he says. “But that’s what action movies are supposed to do, I suppose. They suspend reality.”

Watch the full story on Vulture.