Bullets Flying, Car Chasing, Adrenaline Pumping - Critical Situation: North Hollywood Shootout
June 12, 2007
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There are many weeks here at the channel that I look through the on-air schedule and get very excited about a new show. Trying to contain some of my excitement and realizing that I need to act professional while at work; I graciously head off to our communications department or our channel media library to see if by chance I can get sneak peak. I stumbled on this idea when Eye of the Leopard was premiering, then with Galapagos, and more recently Inside the Green Berets. All great shows that did not leave me disappointed.
However, there hasn’t been a series that I have been anticipating more then Critical Situation simply because of the wide ranging topics it plans to cover.
Critical Situation is a dissection of some of the most high action-adrenaline pumping events in recent history. It takes an event and allows you to see it unfold through survivor testimonials and state of the art CGI graphics. Take for instance tonight’s premiere of Critical Situation: North Hollywood Shootout. It traces bullets flying, cops chasing and breaks down the detailed plans of two menacing bank robbers. My favorite moment of the episode would have to be the CGI analysis of the semi-automatic weapons firing and how eventually it led to the downfall of one of the criminals. What more could you ask for?
Needless to say I couldn’t believe all the detailed information that was packed in the hour that I took a sneak peak at the second episode airing next week, Downed Pilot. After watching the second episode, I realized that I should probably try and restrain my excitement from watching the rest of the series and give myself a nice surprise each week.
Comments (11)
NGC,
I awaited the arrival of the Critical Situation series with great anticipation. I enjoy NGC programming on a daily basis and am usually rewarded with finely filmed and accurately detailed information.
Your premier left me with several disappointments:
1. Your description of an AK-47 as a "machine gun" is inaccurate. The AK-47 is a select-fire, assault rifle, not a belt fed machine gun. Also, I believe the model used in the North Hollywood shoot-out was a semi-automatic version of that rifle illegally modified to fire in the full automatic mode.
2. Your portrayal that an AK-47 is not a "small arms" weapon is also inaccurate. The AK-47 is, indeed, a “small arm.” Hand held and shoulder fired arms are routinely classified as “small arms.”
3. Your description of AK-47 ammunition as “steel covered” is only accurate if you believe copper is the metallic equivalent of steel. AK-47 rounds are copper jacketed, just like the rounds of the 9mm handguns used by the LAPD officers in the encounter. The difference is the 9mm rounds were copper jacketed lead rounds as opposed the copper jacketed, lead, yet steel core, rounds of the AK-47.
I look forward to future episodes of Critical Situation, but hope that future episodes contain more accurately detailed information.
Feel free to contact me at the attached email address in the future if you require guidance on weapons/tactics questions.
Posted by T.B. Special Agent, (Ret.) | June 12, 2007 11:12 PM
Is there any way i could get the episode on dvd? or any other north hollywood related dvd's? thanks.
Posted by Leo | June 13, 2007 3:27 PM
I will try to fix it for u
Posted by Yahay | June 14, 2007 1:28 PM
FYI...North Hollywood is not Hollywood. Both the ads and the program make reference to this incident taking place in Hollywood. It did not.
Posted by A NoHo resident | June 15, 2007 9:21 PM
As the actor who "played" Larry Phillips, what would be the possibility of getting a copy of North Hollywood Shootout?
Posted by P. David Miller | July 1, 2007 3:05 AM
Please release this show for sale on DVD through the online NatGeo store.
As noted by others, North Hollywood is not a section of town in the north of the city of Hollywood.
North Hollywood is not contiguous with Hollywood.
You cannot even see Hollywood from North Hollywood.
North Hollywood is a municipal entity that is geographically separated from Hollywood by a ridge of low mountains or hills.
Seeing as how geography is the business of the the National Geographic Society, one would think that someone involved in research would be capable of correctly identifying the scene of the shootout prior to releasing the final version of the program for showing on the air.
Aside from the blunders already mentioned, very entertaining.
Posted by Aim_Small_Miss_Small | July 21, 2007 8:45 PM
I would like to know how I can get a copy of the North Hollywood shootout that you aired on National Geographic on July 24, 2007. My cousin was one of the detectives that was there and he was wounded during the shootout and I would like to get the CD or video of all the actual footage if I can.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
L. Trowbridge
Posted by L. Trowbridge | July 26, 2007 12:42 PM
that shoot out was dope..i have never seen something so crazy before in my life.. i give those guys major props..for not giving up..(robbers). RIP. 2 those guys..AND hopefully u can get that out on dvd..cuz i love it!
Posted by KARLA | September 27, 2007 12:20 AM
MY HEROES!!
Posted by diana | September 27, 2007 12:23 AM
is it clear that he killed himself? I have also herd that at the same time a police oficers bullet fracured his spine and this may have casued his musels to tighten pulling the tirigger of the gun that he possible trying to reload at the time. and is there any way I could get actual footage of this event?
Posted by joe | November 16, 2007 5:04 PM
MY HEROES!!
Posted by subhash choudary | February 1, 2008 9:23 PM