The Sting (1973) - 9 mistakes

Plot hole: In the final scene, Kid Twist arrives at the betting parlor, whispering to Lonnegan, "Sorry, I couldn't wait." This furthers the plot as Twist can then inform Lonnegan that the wrong horse is going to win. But it would also blow the entire con because Lonnegan would expect Twist to have been downtown at his Western Union office just four minutes earlier when they talked on the phone.

Continuity: When Lt. Snyder breaks the phone booth window with his gun and points it at Hooker, Hooker's hat falls off. Yet in the next shot over Lt. Snyder's shoulder you can see that Hooker's hat is back on his head.

Continuity: When Hooker is taking Lonnegan to meet his Western Union tipster, he gives Lonnegan's driver an address. When the car pulls up to the destination, the number on the building is different.

Factual error: When Lonnegan brings the briefcase full of money to the cage for his big bet, all of the 100s in the case are new federal reserve notes not the type of the 1920s.

Character mistake: At Duke Boudreau's bar, the potential recruits for the sting are told, "Gondorff is setting up a con on the North side". Later in the film, Agent Polk tells Lt. Snyder, "Gondorff is running a con on the South side". The actual address for the betting hall is not given, but it is just down the alley from Klein's, which does have a South side address.

Continuity: After the scene where Doyle places the bet on Blue Note for Hooker, Hooker gets onto an elevator. After the door closes, there is a visible edit. The operator switches from barely visible to standing where half of his body is visible.

Plot hole: A vital plot line, obviously, is that Doyle wants to kill the con men who fleeced his runner of the numbers money. He has Luther killed and turns his best men (and women) onto Johnny Hooker, almost killing him, too. What about the third conman, Kid Erie? He is an essential part of the con, as much a part of it as Luther and Hooker. He comes and goes as he pleases. Doyle doesn't have anyone looking for him; he doesn't even mention him in conversation, and in fact consistently refers to two - not three - con men. He makes it clear that he would have to kill his best friend if he even found out about the con, yet he lets one of the central participants go Scott free. It doesn't make any sense at all.

Continuity: When Lt. Snyder meets with Polk, the FBI agent, they both sit down and Snyder makes a comment about Polk's "nice office," which is really an empty factory. Polk gets offended immediately and from an over-the-shoulder shot you can see him rise from his chair. The camera switches to a shot of his face and he's calmly sitting down again, then rises up in anger. He stands up twice.

Continuity: When Hooker meets Gondorff for the first time, he puts him in a shower, fully dressed. When the camera cuts to a front view of Gondorff, as the shot goes back and forth between him and Hooker, Gondorff's right pant leg alternates between being soaking wet and completely dry several times.