The Apparent Paralysis of The Protagonists Examined

I posted my thoughts on this in another thread, but figured it might as well deserve it's own. Some people have a problem with the 'believability' of the protagonists lack of action. Despite the laundry list of problems with this film, this is not one of them for me. The primary plight of the characters seemed more realistic and natural than given credit for:

1.) The man is an unknown.

2.) The man could be carrying any number of weapons.

3.) The man could be significantly stronger than either man or somehow better equipped.

4.) The man is the only one who came prepared to the ATM with the intent to create the situation. He was not deterred by 3 people inside.

5.) The three people inside note #4 which further deflates any confidence on their part.

6.) There is no way of knowing how many men may be out there.

7.) Most people are loathe to instigate a physical altercation. They would naturally wait to defend themselves rather than voluntarily escalate the situation further.

8.)
a. How would they go about attacking the man? They would be unlikely to catch him if they aggressed.

b. The altercation is undesirable in the first place, appears unlikely for them to be able to force, and would only result in sacrificing the meager protection of the ATM box. From the point of view of a person who believes themselves in the weaker position (it only matters that they think so), and wishes to avoid the fight in the first place, it is highly unattractive option and one that is conveniently unlikely to work resulting in inaction.

9.) The man commits murder in front of them...twice. I'm pretty sure that sucked the life out of whatever bravado these guys could muster.

10.) It wasn't immediately evident that an altercation had to take place as they believed they were being robbed.

11.) The man's intent toward them was unclear and confusing even once things had escalated to murder. Returning to point 7, it would further waver the two men from a confrontation. Each time they back-pedaled from such an event they raised the perceived stakes and risks, making them more likely to avoid such an action.

12.) When they exhausted all other options they attempted to run. This seems realistic to me. It turned out badly...albeit very unrealistically.

Of course, the film was executed fairly stupid for the most part, but the premise of the situation stands as being a tricky one that people would not know how to react to. For the most part, I found the protagonists unwillingness to act and confusion as how to do so very natural.