Was it the shape charge that caused this? If so, I find this odd because a director like Michael Mann would be the type to include a shot of at least one of Neil's crew members putting ear plugs in before detonation. I find it bizarre that this detail wasn't explained much further in the film
shareWhilst I have thankfully never been inside an armoured car when an explosive device has gone off to breach it, I have used firearms in enclosed spaces without ear pro and that shit is loud. Being inside that van will absolutely amplify the volume significantly. Now a shape charge? Most likely severe, permanent hearing damage. Whilst loud, it would not be as big a concern to those out in the open.
shareSo let's say that Waingro never killed the first guard and the crew got away without killing the other two - the LAPD would still have Neil and his team on the radar pretty prominently for the heist and for causing the guards to have their eardrums blow out, right?
Well yeah. Executing the guards certainly bumped up their visibility in the eyes of the law. Something tells me the injuries to the guards would not be a major aspect of the them being chased. More so that the group have a penchant for using explosives which bump them up the risk list.
shareNothing odd about this. The sound of the explosion occurring outside the armored truck would be the equivalent of a cap gun going off to Neil’s crew in comparison to what was experienced by the concussion of sound created inside the truck.
This coming from someone whose eardrums were ruptured by an RPG-7 fired at his armored humvee.