Heartbreak Ridge (1986) - 18 mistakes

Factual error: At the very beginning of the film, Gunny Highway learns that he's being reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division. The 2nd Division, located at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is situated on the NC coast; there are no mountains in the immediate vicinity. However, when the Gunny trains his platoon, he does so in the hills of another Marine training camp located in California. There is a big difference between California and North Carolina.

Factual error: At the end of the movie when Gunny Highway and his men land at what is supposed to be Cherry Point, the band playing the music should be the 2nd Marine Division band, but is in fact the 1st Marine Division band as can be seen by the 1st Marine Division insignia on the drummer's drum.

Factual error: Towards the end of the movie Lieutenant Ring is ordered to escort the rescued students to Cherry Point. When they arrive they are actually at MCAS El Toro, not MCAS Cherry Point. Any Marine who has been at both air stations can immediately tell the difference.

Continuity: Halfway through the film when Gunny Highway takes the troops on a run, one of his Marines suggests he's lost. Stitch Jones says "C'mon, let's smoke this sucka." All the troops run past Highway, with Jones leading the way. When the shot turns to a rear view, Jones is the last one to pass Highway.

Continuity: When Gunny Highway first introduces himself to his recon team, he walks into their barracks building. This building was at the end of a row of barracks. Minutes later, when Highway walks out the back end of this building, he actually comes out of a different building further up the street.

Continuity: When Highway first assembles his men, it is meant to be very early morning (5:00 am.). Judging by the very short lengths of the shadows, it is quite obvious that it is around noon.

Factual error: As the recon platoon is heading toward their "ambush" of Major Powers and 1st platoon, Highway tells Jones to "unsling those rifles, and you're making too much noise." Jones starts to unthread his rifle sling from the buckle in order to remove the sling from his rifle. Anyone familiar with the manual of arms (which includes ANYONE who has ever graduated from USMC basic training) knows that to "unsling" a rifle means to take it off your shoulder (from a slung position) and carry it in your hands, ready to use.

Revealing: As Sgt. Highway turns the dead body with a cigar in the pocket you can see its right arm move to avoid twisting.

Other: When Highway is walking in front of the flag pole, the colors are being retired and the bugle call is "Taps". When the colors are retired the bugle call is "Retreat". Taps isn't played until lights out at 2200 hours (10 P.M.).

Continuity: In the beginning of the film Clint Eastwood is sitting in jail on a bunk. When he gets up to fight, he hands his well chewed cigar to the young kid on his right. After he decks the bald man and sits back down the young man hands him a now fresh cigar.

Factual error: When the Recon Team were in Grenada, you don't see Swede carrying extra ammo belts for his M60. Neither does he have a buddy who could carry the additional combat load assuming they would be in boxes.

Continuity: When lifting off from the ship, the Marines board a twin engine (Marine Corps) Huey. When they drop in the water, they drop from a single engine (Army) helicopter.

Continuity: During the opening, the camera is shooting from a helicopter. The shadow of the helicopter is seen running across the building in the scene.

Plot hole: The movie takes place in 1983, during the invasion of Grenada in October that year. The battle of Heartbreak Ridge occurred in Sept/Oct 1951. SGM ChooZoo informs Stitch that he, Highway and Stoney Jackson had left the Army after Heartbreak Ridge and joined the Marine Corp. At the time of the invasion of Grenada Highway would have had a total time in service of 32 years, 8 years past mandatory retirement for an E-7.

Continuity: During the invasion of Grenada, the faces of the Recon Team lose their camouflage paint while Gunny Highway retains his.

Other: When Recon is invading Grenada, it shows the platoon at the ready in the door of the helicopter. Their swimfins are securely fastened to their jumpbags and they have their jungle boots on. In a water landing, it's fins on, boots off.

Continuity: When Highway goes to his ex-wife's house and pours her a beer in a glass, it has about an inch of head on it. When the camera angle changes there's no head on the beer.

Continuity: In the last scene on Grenada, when the Col. lands his copter, it lands with the port (left) side of the copter facing the rock retaining wall. After the Col. tells Highway and Choozoo to "Get out of my LZ." As Highway and Choozoo walk away the starboard (right) side of the copter is facing the rock wall. You see the tail facing the camera.