Factual error: The Swiss Air 747 in the movie had an extended upper deck. The first Swiss Air 747-300 did not fly until 1982, and didn't enter commercial service until 1983, well after the events of this movie.
Factual error: Iranian revolutionary guards didn't have caps with their uniforms until 1988 (after the end of the Iran-Iraq war).
Continuity mistake: When the State Department approves the exfiltration, Ben Affleck is dropped at Dulles Airport (it has a distinctive swooping roof), but after he boards, the plane is seen taking off from Reagan National airport. The evidence is the fact that you see a bridge (the Woodrow Wilson bridge, which was rebuilt in 2006 and can be seen in its current form) in the background. (00:46:35)
Factual error: In 1980 the Canadian airport we see was called Dorval international airport, not Trudeau.
Factual error: At the press conference for the bogus movie Argo the actor dressed as a C3P0-knockoff robot has blue-white LEDs for eyes in his costume - which were not available until well into the 1990s. (00:41:00)
Factual error: References to NZ Embassy staff not assisting escapees in Tehran are wholly inaccurate, as Ben Affleck admitted post-release.
Factual error: The Canadian military policeman (Sgt. Claude Gauthier - based on a real person) depicted as the house guests leave Ken Taylor's residence, and subsequently shown breaking up communication equipment has several errors in depiction. He is shown wearing combat uniform while on diplomatic duty (although perhaps the situation excuses this). He has service dress sergeant's chevrons sewn on the arm of his combat uniform instead of combat uniform rank. He is wearing a military police red beret, but at that time Canadian military police wore green berets. Also, having enough years of service to attain the rank of sergeant, he would have known how to form his beret properly, rather than having it look like a pizza. The slip ons worn on his shoulder epaulets are way too long, and are not like any Canadian Armed Forces slip ons for any uniform. They are definitely not Canadian combat uniform slip ons. The chest pockets on the combat shirt are sewn flat, whereas in reality the chest pockets had sides (they stuck out from the shirt) as they were designed to hold ammunition magazines for the FNC1 rifle. The buttons on the chest pockets are small, like the ones running down the front of the shirt - the pocket buttons should be much larger in diameter than the shirt front buttons, His long hair and sideburns would not have been permitted under the dress and deportment regulations of the Canadian Forces, and as a Sergeant he should have known better. (01:23:45)
Continuity mistake: When Mendez and the other two are reviewing possible scripts to choose, Mendez walks into the home, shuffles through scripts and finds Argo. When he goes to give the script to the other guys the script is missing its black cover and back cover. It is a plain white script, obviously not the same as the original one he picked up off the desk. (00:32:30)
Factual error: In the scene where Tony Mendez finds the Argo screenplay - while browsing into piles of other screenplays at Siegel's house - he handles a screenplay called "PASSIONS REQUIEM" by Brian Cowden that is dated "09-21-2009" - this date is visible/printed in the cover. (00:32:30)
Factual error: During the protests in the opening scene protesters are chanting "ubij ga", meaning "kill him" but in Serbo-Croatian or Bosnian language, definitely not in any Iranian language. (00:02:45)
Character mistake: In the closing credits, as the camera pans across the Star Wars figures on the shelf, you can see the sandperson figure is in the spot labelled Jawa and vice versa for the actual Jawa. (01:50:15)
Continuity mistake: When Ben Affleck is writing a postcard to his son, he writes "love you Buth. So" before moving to the next line. In the next shot "So" is already on the next line, followed by "much". (00:45:26)
Factual error: The opening narration states that a US-backed coup overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran in 1953, and Reza Pahlavi was installed as Shah. First, the PM in Iran was not democratically elected, but appointed by the parliament with approval of the Shah. Second, Reza Pahlavi became Shah in 1941 - the coup in 1953 simply allowed the royal family to reclaim rule over the country.
Factual error: Early in the movie in the American Embassy, a reprint of a WPA poster of Grand Canyon is seen on the wall behind a desk. Those reprints were not started until the late 1980s.
Factual error: In one of the intertitles in the final scene when Mendez is lying in his son's bed, it is stated, "The involvement of the C.I.A. complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy in freeing the six held in Tehran." The six freed from Iran by Mendez were not being held; they were in hiding. The hostages that were held were freed by Iran much later. (01:50:39)
Continuity mistake: While in the Volkswagen bus returning from the marketplace, a complete truck is seen in the distance on fire. The shot changes to the main character's face then back to the street. As they pass the truck, it has no fenders.
Factual error: At the end of the movie a large Boba Fett action figure is shown on the shelf. The only Boba Fett toys available before "The Empire Strikes Back" was released in 1980 were small action figures sent as a free gift promotion to people who had collected enough "proof of purchase" tokens for purchasing enough other "Star Wars" action figures from the Kenner toy company.
Continuity mistake: When Tony is sorting through scripts and picks up Argo, his cover studio of Studio 6 Productions, the address and Producer Lester Siegel's name is already printed on cover before rights are bought.
Answer: A film crew is more credible than a group of tourists being involved in this type of activity. Tourists' behavior would be more limited and subject to being noticed by authorities if they acted in a unusual manner. A film crew would have access to more out-of-the-way locations, and if they acted suspiciously, could pass it off as it being part of making a movie.
raywest