Legality of gunfights in movies- eg. HEAT

[Lenny]

Thanks all. I was thinking, in relation to Heat, in some ways I agree with Mandolin that given Shiherlis opens fire first- in full auto no less- the response at that point by the police is probably justified and deflect any subsequent backlash for their actions.

But should Hanna have cornered them outside the bank anyway, given his prior knowledge that these guys are heavily armed and ready to 'rock and roll'?! Tracking them to a less populated location before a confrontation would have been a more sensible plan in retrospect.

Also- excuse my ignorance here- can regular detectives quickly equip themselves with rifles and be first responders in such a way? Wouldn't it be a tactical unit's role to turn up with the heavy artillery? I can't recall if there's an explanation why SWAT isn't there.

Nitpicking I'm sure- still an awesome scene in an awesome movie!