Factual error: At the 7-eleven as the Latino is walking up to the store you can see a 2001 Chevey Van pull out of shot,the film takes place in 1994. Other 2005 model vehicles are seen throughtout the movie.
Factual error: When Clouseau heard the footsteps of what he thought to be a lady and what we afterwards knew was the Russian trainer, he described how tall she was using the English system of feet and inches, not the metric system, which is used in France.
Factual error: Stone sneaks aboard the USS Independence (CVA-62) to investigate the bad guy's arms cache..yet, when he dives into the water, he is jumping off the USS Hornet (CVS-12). (00:50:35 - 00:57:45)
Factual error: Halfway into the film, a scene shows Capote talking on a beige telephone. The receiver is a modular (plug in) type. Modular phones were not introduced until after 1966. The time frame for this movie is 1959 through 1963. All other scenes in this movie show the correct type of receiver (wired, not plug-in).
Factual error: When The Silver Tongued Devil contacts Bandit for a smokey report, he asks if the Bandit is "coming up on Fayetteville, on Interstate 82." Aside from the fact that Fayetteville, Arkansas is far off the direct route from Texarkana to Atlanta, Interstate 82 is about 1900 miles away from Fayetteville, in Washington state. In fact, at the time, there was no interstate highway at all near Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Suggested correction: There is a US Hwy 82 that connects these states and runs all the way through TX. They did, in fact, confuse the verbiage between interstate and US Hwy.
Factual error: When talking about the planned robbery of Fenway, the florist mentions a four-game series with New York. However, later the crew is in a bar and a clip of the baseball game is being shown on the television. The game being shown is against Toronto. Since this scene is supposed to be just prior to the heist, one would expect the visiting team to be the Yankees, not the Blue Jays.
Suggested correction: There's nothing to indicate the clip in the bar is from a current game. Sports networks often show classic games in repeats.
Give me a break, they screwed that up.
Suggested correction: A robbery of that size and risk would require several days of planning and preparation. Doug and Jem probably went to the park during the series against Toronto to scope the place out, and the planning and preparation continued until the end of the series with the Yankees when the robbery occurred.
Suggested correction: There is no indication on what day it is. It's possible that it's Wednesday before 4 days. Or it's Thursday making the series get played on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.
Factual error: In the very first shot of the movie, a clock is shown ticking. The time on the clock reads 05:59:56. It is obviously AM because a few seconds later at 06:00:00, Frank wakes up as if it was morning. As Frank sits up, clear daylight is visible outside of the window. This scene is supposed to be set during winter. We know this because there are many Christmas decorations. Since this is meant to be winter, it should still be dark at that time of day. (00:00:40)
Suggested correction: At the beginning of the movie it's September or early October if latest in the year. At Cleveland's latitude there's enough sunlight at 6am to experience such lighting through a window facing south.
First, what in the film places the opening scene in Sept or Oct? There's too much snow on the ground for it to be either of those months (it doesn't snow in September and rarely in October, but only late October). Second, even if it was set in October, the sun doesn't rise until around 7:30AM or 8:00AM.
I disagree. I think what Bishop73 wrote above is correct. The opening scene at 6:00 AM showed daylight, which would be too early for October, November, and December in Ohio. The movie apparently begins in December based on the amount of Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. Sunrise might be between 7:30 - 8:00 AM and twilight is about 30 minutes prior to sunrise. It simply would not be that light out at 6:00 AM.
Factual error: In the scene where Lt. Exley arrives at the Night Owl after the murder, the patrol officer is wearing a Safariland velcro-fastened handcuff case on his left hip. That style of rounded cuff case was not introduced until the early to mid 70s.
Factual error: In 1973, directly after the scene where Sam had to chase the dog down the street, he sits in his apartment alone, watching Julie Nixon's wedding on TV. She was married in 1968.
Factual error: The time period of the film is 1932. In the opening title sequence, you see someone playing with Crayola Crayons (I assume it's Scout). One of the Crayons is labeled "Melon". Binney & Smith didn't sell the Melon colored crayon until 1949. Crayons produced from 1903 to 1948 sold for a nickel and contained only eight colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black.
Factual error: While Sgt Howie (dressed as Punch) is being chased by the women, you can see autumn leaves on the grass, though the story is set on the 1st of May.
Factual error: While Fletch is riding with the bikers, they stop at a stop sign where a family in a station wagon roll up their windows in fear. A sign at a service center in the background is the Castaic Junction, which is in the greater Los Angeles area. The movie is supposed to be taking place in Louisiana. (01:12:35)
Factual error: Right after the movie title is shown, you can see in the background a UPS truck. The only problem is that it has the new logo on the side of it. (00:02:00 - 00:06:00)
Factual error: Ronnie Cox is shot in the heart at point blank range by Brigitte Neilsen, and it looks to me like she's using a large caliber handgun. Keeping track of the action of the film tells us that Cox is sitting up in bed chatting to his friends just three days later. What nonsense. Even if he did survive (unlikely) he'd still be in Post-Op Intensive Care at that stage. He wouldn't be conscious, let alone allowed visitors.
Factual error: Almost at the end of the film, Poncelet is marched to the death chamber, with Prejean's hand on his shoulder. They are led past an open door - which leads to the viewing room, where the witnesses will congregate. Some of them are already in the room. This is nonsense - it is inviting a bereaved relative to attack the condemned man. In fact the corridor to the death chamber goes nowhere near the witnesses' area, and Prejean would have had to have been escorted back through two guarded doors to reach it.
Factual error: When Marv is talking with the Priest in the confessional, he cocks the hammer of his pistol as a means of interrogation. But in the next shot, the pistol is uncocked, without sufficient time for this to occur. In fact, the pistol is uncocked even when Marv shoots him. This cannot happen, since his pistol is a standard 1911 .45, which requires the hammer to be cocked in order to fire.
Factual error: The year is 1969 when they steal the first aircraft (single engine Cessna), and there is a 757 taking off in the background. The 757 first flew on 02-19-82. (00:22:05)
Factual error: The Monet stolen by TC is credited as being the first painting in the Impressionist school, a clear reference to Monet's "Impression: Sunrise" of 1872. However, the painting shown during the entire film is "San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight," a 1906 Monet painting.
Factual error: At the end of the film, SGT Angel gets into his Police car Subaru Impreza, and on the bonnet it has the writing 'Sandford Constabulary'. This is incorrect, it would in fact be 'Gloucestershire Constabulary' as established at the start of the film that Sandford is in Gloucestershire. A Constabulary is always named after the County, never after a tiny village within that County. (01:49:35)
Suggested correction: While this may absolutely be true, this falls right in line with the entire plot of the movie. The people of Sandford are extremely proud of their village, with one of the higher up people in the village being the police chief himself, who we find out later is just as corrupt as everyone else. Not only would this be allowed by him, it was likely his call.
Factual error: At the very end of the movie, the Pope gives the nuns a standing ovation. The other people seated in the box with him should have immediately risen at this time. Instead, the man seated to his left looks up at him, seeing that the pontiff has stood, but makes no movement to join him on his feet.