When Achilles and the Myrmidons land at the beach before Troy, they set up a testudo formation with their shields to defend themselves against the Trojan archers. The testudo formation was first used by the Roman legions, nearly a thousand years after the events depicted. [A tactic that can be worked out by one group can easily be worked out by another. It certainly cannot be said that the Myrmidons, who are noted as exceptional soldiers who would be perfectly capable of working out such a tactical move, could not have used that formation. It may have become commonly used in the time of the Romans, but that doesn't mean that it could not have been used by certain groups prior to that.] Corrected by TailkinkerTroy (2004) - 80 corrections
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Brad Pitt, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Peter O'Toole, Saffron Burrows, Sean Bean
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When Achilles and the Myrmidons land at the beach before Troy, they set up a testudo formation with their shields to defend themselves against the Trojan archers. The testudo formation was first used by the Roman legions, nearly a thousand years after the events depicted. [A tactic that can be worked out by one group can easily be worked out by another. It certainly cannot be said that the Myrmidons, who are noted as exceptional soldiers who would be perfectly capable of working out such a tactical move, could not have used that formation. It may have become commonly used in the time of the Romans, but that doesn't mean that it could not have been used by certain groups prior to that.] Corrected by Tailkinker Achilles is placed on the funeral pyre wearing his armor, which traditionally would have gone to his heirs (either back home or amongst the army). In fact, in the Iliad Odysseus and Ajax later fight over Achilles' armor, each claiming it should go to him as the next most valiant warrior amongst the Greeks. [Differences between a film and its source material are not considered valid mistakes. Also, traditions are not laws - they can be obeyed or ignored as necessary, without it being considered an error.] Corrected by Tailkinker When Helen is looking out at the ocean knowing that the Greeks will come, Paris suggests that they "ride east, and keep riding" To ride east you must follow the rising sun. But the sun is rising over the ocean. So either the sun is rising in the west or Paris' plan is to ride into the ocean. [When Paris said ride east, he meant head in that general direction. Obviously he wouldnt have gone into the Aegean. But hes also not going to say "we'll head roughly 350 miles north and then ride east so we dont hit the water". Either way it's a character mistake.] Menelaus wasn't killed by Hector, he actually survived the whole war. [This film is loosely based on the Iliad, not a direct copy. As such, any book/film differences aren't valid.] Corrected by shortdanzr A style of the Ancient Greeks from the Mycenaean era (during which the Trojan War occured) was that men never bore moustaches on their faces. This movie had an army - literally - of men with them. [This has already been corrected. It was the ROMANS who never had beards. The Greeks had beards at every era, including the Mycenean era. Becides, even if it was the style not to have beards, it doesn't mean that some men wouldn't have had them.] Mid-film we see Hector carving a lion from wood for his son, which would be strange as the Trojans never conquered beyond the Mediterranean. What most people don't know is that lions once lived around the Mediterranean but climate and population changes forced them down into Africa. [The Bible's Old Testament has encounters with lions as does much of Greek mythology. It isn't really trivia as much as stating the obvious.] Corrected by Rlvlk Notice that Peter O'Toole (playing King Priam) mispronounces Achilles' (played by Brad Pitt) name while asking him how many people that he has killed. He says "Hercules" instead of "Achilles". [Sounds very much like he says Achilles to me.] Corrected by Tailkinker In the beginning love scene with Helen and Paris, you see Paris without his shirt and there are no tattoos on his body. At the end, when Paris is firing the arrow at Achilles, you see a bit of his midriff and Orlando's sun tattoo is visible. [I checked this scene several times. I never saw a tattoo on Paris' body. If it does happen, be more specific as to where on his body it is. Also, Paris fires more than one arrow, so say whether it is the first, second, third, fourth or fifth time when it happens.] In the middle of the film when Achilles has killed Hector, he falls to the ground, and if you look behind him when he's on the ground, the castle wall can be seen, therefore signifying that he fell at the wall, yet on all other shots he is quite some distance from the castle wall. [There is absolutely no continuity error regarding the proximity of the city's vast wall behind and to the sides of Hector.] Corrected by Rikki In the scene just after the Greeks have taken the Trojan beach, there some members of Troy sitting before Priam and they are cheering that, "If they want a war, we'll give them a war." After that comment, someone says, "The best of Greece outnumber the best of Troy two to one," yet they still cheer in happiness. This doesn't make any sense as they are Trojans and it is a bad thing that they're outnumbered by the Greeks. [They are cheering in defiance, not happiness.] Corrected by STP When Achilles and the myrmidons arrive at the Trojan beaches, a tall, white boulder is visible next to their ship. Throughout the combat on the beach, this boulder disappears and reappears. [The differences concerning the boulder and rock formations are already noted.] After the first major battle and Achilles and the Myrmidons land on the beach, the small-group battle ends with Achilles killing every man within range of him. He speaks to Eudorus and you can a streak of blood across the front of his armor, along his upper chest. Around the edges of the mark, you can marks which probably indicate that the metal has been cut. How could blood be flowing from metal? That's impossible and it does not appear that he has been cut all the way through. [You're assuming that it's his blood. Given the sheer number of men that he's killed, it's far more likely that this is simply a splash of blood from one of them.] Corrected by Tailkinker When Odysseus leads the Greeks up the stairs and are trying to break through the gate that Paris and other Trojans are waiting for them on the other side, you see Paris draw an arrow and fix it to his bow. However, when the Greeks finally do break through the gate, he is seen in a self-shot drawing another arrow and quickly firing it again. [In the first shot, Paris raises the bow and nocked arrow - we do not see him let loose (note the distance between him and the window behind). Next shot is a close-up of the Greeks streaming in. In the third shot, as the Greeks begin battling Trojans in the background, Paris heads for the stairs in the foreground where he draws and lets loose the arrow - also seen in the fourth shot close-up (note the closer distance to the window). Between the first and third shots Paris could very well have let loose that first nocked arrow and turned around. No continuity error here.] Corrected by Rikki Near the start when we see Achilles on his ship with his soldiers, the camera cuts to a soldier walking along the rowers, in this shot we don't see the main sail, yet when it cuts to him again coming up to Achilles the main sail is just behind him. We should have been able to see this in the previous shot from the soldiers feet. [When this shot opens the camera is way down low, just at the height of the starboard side rowers. The stern rigging at starboard are visible beside these men, when Eudorus' legs come into view, as he begins walking from the stern towards the bow. As the camera continues to follow Eudorus' legs, the base of the mast - which is farther up on deck, would be wholly impossible to see, because many other men's legs are on deck in front of Eudorus' legs, and because of the unusual angle of this shot. In the next overhead shot, Eudorus has already passed the mast and heads to Achilles at forward deck; and as a side note this does not grate with continuity, because it is unnecessary to see Eudorus walk the entire length of the deck on camera.] Corrected by Rikki After Patroclus gets slashed in the throat by Hector there is a shot of him falling to the ground, and in this shot Glaucus is holding his shield in front of him. Then in the very next shot, Glaucus starts cheering, and the shield is on his side. [When Patroclus falls backwards, in this wide shot Glaucus holds his sword with his right hand and his shield is held with his left, in front of the left side of his body as the camera pans down to Patroclus hitting the ground. In the next close-up, Glaucus still holds the shield in front of the left side of his body, as he raises his sword with his right hand, the only difference being a soldier's arm is now pressed against Glaucus' shield - which the soldier was able to do as the camera pans down focusing on Patroclus.] Corrected by Rikki 
After Achilles arrives at his tent and sees Briseis, Eumaeus says "they thought she'd amuse you". In this shot, some of his hair is over his forehead, but it is not there in the very next shot. [First of all, it is Eudorus in the doorway of Achilles' tent. In the second shot the camera is farther away from Eudorus, but if you zoom in on his face the strand of hair does indeed hang over at his left eye, exactly like the previous shot.] When Achilles sticks out his sword over the arriving Greek army, they all yell "Achilles, Achilles". Some of them are at too far of a distance away to have properly identified Achilles. [The people that can see him start chanting and those that can't see him join in.] Corrected by Rlvlk When King Priam is stabbed by Agamemnon in the temple at the end of the movie, the blade goes into his stomach. Priam falls to the ground, looks up and sees Agamemnon. In this shot, there is blood on the robes of Priam near his left shoulder. How can his blood defy gravity by going up his chest, let alone in five seconds? [In the first shot, when Agamemnon spears Priam from the back, the tip protrudes from his chest above his belt, Priam falls face forward with the spear still in him and Agamemnon violently removes the spear (causing even more massive damage to the wound) then tosses it aside. At the start of the next shot Priam is face-down flat on the ground, so the blood does not have to "defy gravity" in order to be easily absorbed by the very thin material towards his shoulder, as it pours out of the severe back entry wound and when he turns over there is also blood spilling from his mouth reaching the front of his shoulder.] Corrected by Rikki The 3rd, 4th, and 5th arrows that Paris fires at Achilles are all white when they are in his bow. But when Achilles collapses and pulls them out, the arrows are all brown. [All of the arrows that Paris pulls from the quiver and when he fires them with his bow, are light wood color with white fletching. When Achilles drops down to his knees and pulls out the last three arrows (3rd, 4th and 5th) they are still light wood color with white fletching (the fletching is visible on video). It is ONLY in the close-up of Achilles' foot that the shaft is dark, which is noted already. ] When the camera rises over dead Achilles, there are only three arrows on the ground except for the one in his heel, even though Achilles was shot four times in his chest and pulled each arrow out. [After the 1st arrow hits his heel, when Achilles is hit with the 2nd arrow - which is in his chest - he pulls it out immediately and he throws that 2nd arrow to his left while he is still at the far end of the grass. He then starts to walk toward Paris and is hit with the 3rd, 4th and 5th arrows, which remain in his chest until he falls to his knees at the other end of the grass. He pulls out the last three arrows and tosses them to the ground, where they will be visible in the final aerial shot. The 2nd arrow is seen lying on the grass, behind Achilles, as he is on his knees pulling the last three arrows out of his chest.]You may also like: Titanic | Gladiator | Star Wars | Apocalypse Now | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl