American Gangster (2007) - 8 major mistakes

Factual error: In one scene, Frank talks to his nephew about missing a meeting with Billy Martin and the New York Yankees. Martin didn't become the Yankees' manager until 1975, after this scene takes place.

Continuity: At the end, when the church doors open, the door on the right opens all the way in the first shot then begins to slowly close back. It is then wide open in the following shot from the other side.

Factual error: When Frank goes in the Chinese place to get the car keys from his driver, he looks up the street and sees a car turning onto another street. The car looks to be a late 80s to early 90s SUV, probably a Dodge Durango, judging by the headlights and foglights.

Factual error: In a shot in Harlem, a Ford Econoline AVIS rental truck drives on the adjacent street. The specific Econoline van was at least a mid-90's to 2000+ model van and the movie takes place in the 70s.

Factual error: The camera pans from the opening of the subway tunnel to Lucas' street corner, which is shown to be on the intersection of 116th Street and 8th Avenue (in green with white lettering). This is impossible, as the Manhattan Valley Viaduct, which carries the IRT Broadway-7th Avenue Line, spans from 122nd to 135th streets, and does not do so on 8th Avenue. While there is a subway line under 8th Avenue by 116th Street (IND 8th Avenue Line), it is all underground and no such opening exists. Also, the viaduct closes several blocks north of 116th street, therefore you should not see any tracks. The corner that you see is actually W 135th Street and Broadway, as the viaduct exists only on Broadway in Manhattan. Also, the signs are green with white lettering. This was not so in the 60s-70s, as in the entire borough of Manhattan during this period, street signs were yellow with black lettering.

Factual error: The money counter used by the gangsters has a green seven-segment LED display. Although green LEDs had just been invented in the 1970's, they where way too dim and expensive to be used in commercial applications and especially seven-segment displays back then.

Factual error: At the end of the film, the subtitles say that Frank was convicted and incarcerated from 1976 to 1991, which implies a continuous sentence. Lucas was actually paroled in 1981, and served a separate sentence for other drug-related offenses from 1984-91.

Factual error: In the movie one of the members of the new drug squad has a Wu-Tang Clan Tattoo on his left shoulder. The Wu-Tang Clan was not up and running until 1993.