Factual error: The volcanic lava in this movie moves incredibly fast in the subway line. This is not only inaccurate, but also ridiculous and unnecessary. Volcanic lava can possibly move faster when in a concealed area that insulates it, but insulated lava cannot move that fast.
Factual error: The movie theater ticker says it's Monday, April 12th, 1997 - but the 12th was on a Saturday. (00:00:20)
Factual error: After checking-in at the Mirage, Clark is sitting by his hotel room window admiring the northward view of the strip. Based on the view he must actually be sitting at the nearby Treasure Island hotel.
Factual error: The Portuguese slave ship Tecora was one of the most notorious of the illegal slave ships, but no slaves were thrown overboard in mid-ocean as shown in the film - at least on the trip in question. The Portuguese were pros at the slave trade and had plenty of food on board to feed their "cargo" between Sierra Leone and Cuba. The only time a slave would be thrown overboard in mid-ocean was if his/her health posed a serious risk to the crew and "cargo". (Slaves were too valuable to just throw away for the price of their food.) Historically, though, there were instances where whole cargoes of slaves were tossed overboard. The British Royal Navy zealously patrolled the waters off West Africa to try to shut down the slave trade. If a British ship was sighted, the slavers sometimes tossed slaves overboard to destroy the evidence and prevent the seizure of the ship.
Factual error: Although cars are seen driving on the right-hand side of the road for most of the film, one overhead shot shows UK-style "give way" lines across the left-hand side of the road.
Factual error: In the scene where Lt. Exley arrives at the Night Owl after the murder, the patrol officer is wearing a Safariland velcro-fastened handcuff case on his left hip. That style of rounded cuff case was not introduced until the early to mid 70s.
Factual error: Rico lives in Buenos Aires, which has no hills within a couple of hundred miles. The city shown in the film has hills.
Factual error: In the scene when Sandy is whipping a plant on his deck, the plant is a tropical hibiscus. The film is set around Thanksgiving in Connecticut and this plant could never survive the frosty outdoors on this deck.
Factual error: The child Lily grabs an apple from a tree, the tree is an oak. Oak trees don't fruit apples.
Factual error: In the hangar scene when Castor and Archer point their guns at each other, if Castor's gun was really empty the slide would be locked back.
Factual error: A photograph is displayed of people at a 25th year MIT reunion in which they are wearing cardinal and grey jackets. Alumni do not receive these jackets until their 50th year reunion. (00:08:00)
Factual error: When they are being kicked out of a Corpus Christi dance club in 1961 for singing do-wop, someone screams "We want to hear Tejano.". Tejano music was born in 1972 in Alice, Texas. In 1961, the correct term was "Tex-Mex" which later became "Chicano" which is now known today as "Tejano". The word "Tejano" was not known in 1961.
Factual error: When Young Hercules makes the pillars fall in a Domino effect, they go both ways. However, if this were to happen, they would stop the domino effect when they reach the entrance to the market, which doesn't have pillars. The pillars are not in a circle, so there's no way they can both stop at the top of the ring, where the pot seller is. The only way for this to work is if Hercules started the Domino effect at the entrance of the market, with pillars directly across from each other, which he doesn't.
Suggested correction: He throws the pillar he holds towards the opposite side causing it to fall as well.
They do a pulled back shot that shows it falling from the top of the ring.
Factual error: On 26th May 1989, the Liverpool v Arsenal game kicked off at 8pm, which meant it would be 9:50 at the earliest before the end of the game. Sunset was at 8.59 that day (I checked!) so why is it still light when they're celebrating?
Factual error: The heroine is trying to get to come on the trip in the minisub. She is asked "Name three under-ice amphopods" The word should be "amphipods", and her answer "Gamamarus" should be "Gammarus". (00:25:30)
Factual error: Visible lasers are never used as a security feature. (01:00:00)
Factual error: When Jordan arrives at the training base, she is riding in a canvas-topped Humvee. The doors consist of a light wire frame covered by a vinyl canvas, and must be hooked shut with a plastic handle. You can see that she fails to secure the door, and it flops open behind her. Yet there is the sound effect of a full-size metal automobile door slamming shut.
Factual error: The mobile phone which Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) uses in the film is the Motorola StarTac, which was made during 1997. During the movie Michael Keaton says in his tape recorder : "date, July, 1st 1995....", telling us the film's set in 1995.
Factual error: Why do the astronauts on Mars and the crew on Earth have the conversations as they do on the phone? A message sent from Earth would take about 20 minutes to arrive at Mars and vice-versa.
Factual error: When Gary Busey is being chased by thugs, the burly black thug will accomplish feats of superhuman strength. You'll see him burst open a locked door with his shoulder, break through a tall wooden fence at walking pace, and literally push open a chained fence, snapping the chain effortlessly.