The Negotiator (1998) - 16 mistakes

Continuity: At the end, the paramedics are taking Samuel L. Jackson into an ambulance. His head is toward the front of the ambulance but in the next shot, Jackson's head is at the back of the ambulance.

Continuity: When Samuel L. Jackson tries to get into Niebaum's computer he lets the secretary tell him the password. The full password as shown on the screen is something like A014487G9 but all we hear is G9 as a result of editing.

Factual error: At the end, as Samuel L. Jackson is being put in the ambulance, it is standard practice to strap the patient to the gurney for safety reasons, which is not done - nor can any straps be seen as the ambulance pulls away.

Factual error: Towards the end of the movie, just before he leaves the police headquarters, Danny Roman piles up a huge amount of office furniture as a barracade and ignites it with a grenade of some kind. The smoke detectors/sprinklers above the naked flames don't trigger for about three minutes.

Factual error: An ambulance would NEVER be parked directly in front of a hostage scene, as shown at the end of the movie, because (a) the ambulance would have to arrived before the police, (b) that location puts both the medics and the ambulance itself in jeopardy if shots are fired, and (c) the ambulance would be blocked in by the numerous police vehicles and thus unable to quickly leave with a wounded patient.

Continuity: In the final scene where Frost is standing outside of Nebalm's house looking at the surrounding police, there is a shot of his face were in the background you can see Danny being held up by Sabian before any sounds on the radio that Danny is injured and need help.

Continuity: In one scene Kevin Spacey goes up the building in a pair of dark trousers and comes down in a pair of light trousers.

Continuity: In the lobby of police headquarters, Danny Roman's lawyer tells him to make a deal with the prosecution. Danny turns to his wife Karen and tells her to wait in the car and he will be right back. Then he proceeds to go upstairs and overtake Nebaums office. Much later when Chris Sabian is negotiating, Karen arrives on the scene wondering what's going on. How long was she waiting in the car?

Continuity: Although the plot is set in Chicago, apparently the Police department did not want to be associated with a story about police corruption. The seal of the City of Chicago is shown frequently, but all of the badges, vehicles, and uniforms show only "Metropolitan Police". In the scene at the funeral, if you freeze frame when they are showing the band, you can see that they have covered up the Chicago Police Emerald Society logo on the bass drum.

Continuity: In the final scene Sabian (Kevin Spacey) gives the bogus discs to Frost who crumbles them up. After Frost is shot outside, Sabian is helping Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson) out of the house, he is holding the discs in his hand. Since they couldn't find the real discs and the computer was destroyed what were these discs he was now holding?

Continuity: At the beginning of his seizure in Niebaum's office, Danny Roman handcuffs Niebaum to the arm of his chair. In subsequent shots, the latter's right, then left, then right hand is the one shackled.

Continuity: In the scene at Niebaum's house you see Danny Roman sitting in front of a computer screen. Behind him Chris Sabian's plaid shirt is easily recognizable. However, in the next shot Chris is not standing behind Danny, but is at the door keeping watch.

Continuity: In the scene where Danny (Samual L. Jackson) is walking by the stairwell to get Niebaum (J.T. Walsh), the SWAT team member is not handcuffed to the stairwell and in fact is not seen in the room. A few seconds later, as Danny is attempting to push Niebaum into the other room, the SWAT member is show handcuffed to the stairwell.

Plot hole: A shot person in an ambulance with no medical attention? At the bare minimum the medics would check vitals, start an IV, clear the wound area (probably remove the entire shirt) and get an eval for the ER.

Factual error: When Frost racks the Sig Sauer pistol to verify a round is in the chamber, the round pulls out and then slides back into the chamber. In reality, the spring loaded extractor would have pulled the round out and flung it sideways to make room for the next round.

Factual error: When Sabien views Niebaum's chair, you can see the bullet holes through the chair and into the desk behind it. The SWAT members were using 9mm MP5s, and they would use hollow point ammunition. Hollowpoints bloom when entering the body and do not pass through. Even if they used full metal jacket rounds, 9mm still wouldn't pass through a 250 lb man, a chair, and into a metal desk.