Continuity mistake: When De Niro first meets Nolte's lady-friend, they are having a conversation in a bar or restaurant. As the camera goes from De Niro to the woman, the woman's top blouse button is open in one shot, then closed, then open, etc.
Continuity mistake: When Sam is talking to the P.I about "Taking care of Max," he gets into his car and the window is up. A few seconds later, the window is down. There wasn't enough time for him to roll it down. (00:54:50)
Continuity mistake: After Max Cady killed Kersek and Sam Bowden finds his corpse in the kitchen, the blood pool changes shape in two different cuts.
Answer: As I remember it, Sam Bowden, Max's lawyer, knew his client was a rapist. He did not want Max to go free, so he buried the evidence that could have exonerated him. At that time, Max was illiterate, and Bowden assumed he'd never know about the hidden information. While in prison, Max, who was actually highly intelligent, learned how to read and also studied law. He later mounted his own unsuccessful appeals, which presumably gave him access to all previous evidence.
raywest