Factual error: Why is there a stellar observatory in the middle of a very large city, most of the stars would be drowned out by the city lights to the point of the observatory being useless. Also, the dome is very high up on top of a "building". Such buildings need to flex a little bit in the wind to keep them from breaking, this would make it impossible for the telescope to focus on anything for a timed exposure of film to make those neat pictures of galaxies and such. (00:35:20)
Factual error: In the shot where the laser sights of the assailants come in through the windows and holes in the wall, their angles are far too different from each other. The shooters are standing at a rather great distance from the structure and at more or less the same height. All the laser sights should have more or less the same direction and certainly not make a sweeping motion inside the room. (00:37:30)
Factual error: When the evangelist first enters the mansion, Mrs. Peacock calls him a beatnik. However, the movie is set in 1954, and the word "beatnik" was not coined until 1958. (01:15:25)
Factual error: The movie leaves the impression that Huntsville, Texas and Austin, Texas are just a short distance apart. In reality, they are at least three hours apart.
Factual error: When the plane takes off headed for Las Vegas, the shot out the window below shows runways 35 and 41. Runway 41 is impossible because ALL runways at airports are only numbered 1-36.
Factual error: Danny is in his apartment watching a baseball game on TV between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves. The game announcer is Jerry Coleman for the San Diego Padres. Since Danny is in D.C., he would have been watching the game on WTBS TBS Superstation (an Atlanta TV station), and Jerry Coleman wouldn't have been announcing a San Diego Padres game on TBS. It would have been Atlanta announcers. (00:46:00)
Factual error: Riggs is shown using a laser-sight on his handgun throughout the entire movie. However, almost every single time he turns it on, the entire "beam" of the laser is visible, which doesn't happen in real life unless there is smoke/vapor/debris in the air. Obviously done for the sake of the audience seeing where the laser is pointed, but still a mistake.
Factual error: Adam Beck says "Kill the lights, unit one." They just don't shut off a main breaker but they cut the main wires. Then shortly afterwards the lights are back on again. It would have taken an electrician hours to replace the cut wires to the power. (01:44:25)
Factual error: When the "Little Wharvey Gals" are singing they show a shot of the crowd in which there is a man smoking a filtered cigarette. Cigarettes were not filtered until the late '40's.
Factual error: In the scene in Costa's apartment after the failed baiting ploy, Costa describes himself as a loner who "bought a gun for a false sense of security", appeared to have had it with him during the evening, and gave the impression that he bought it after he witnessed the murder. Although IlIeana mightn't know, the Montreal police in the room might (should) have wondered about this. Even if legal, it is very difficult to acquire a restricted weapon (handgun) in Canada, the process taking one month to as many as six or more for clearance and permits, let alone courses and examinations. In addition, concealed carry of a weapon is prohibited for civilians. (01:00:25)
Factual error: The whole movie shows methamphetamine constricting their pupils. Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant which dilates the pupils - the exact opposite of what is shown.
Factual error: Near the end of the chase, when Buddy is ramming the bad guys' car, the scene is supposed to take place in New Jersey as they just crossed the George Washington Bridge. However we see a road sign for NY 100/133, indicating they are back in New York state on the Taconic State Parkway.
Factual error: When Robert Bingham is shooting at Cal, an MPD (Washington, DC) squad car shows up. However, the scene is set in Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, outside of MPD's jurisdiction. Arlington County Police would have responded instead. (01:13:05)
Factual error: At the beginning of the film, Nick gazes up at the Roosevelt Hotel. The camera pans up and we can count the number of floors - 18. Yet, during the film, Nick is purported to be on the 21st floor.
Factual error: The dude handcuffed to the radiator has a single piece of duct tape across his mouth maybe 8 inches in length. The sweat and oils, and somebody just moving their mouth will break the tape free from their mouth. A person can scream all they want. To properly do it properly, a ball gag like the one used in Pulp Fiction needs to be used. A piece of tape does nothing, I've taped my own mouth to try it. (00:46:30 - 00:47:30)
Factual error: When they show Alex's partner in the hospital his heart rate is showing 35 on the monitor. His heart rate is not that low from the EKG pattern.
Factual error: Towards the end of the film, where St. John is trying to escape with Kim in his private jet, they are apparently attempting to take off from Santa Monica airport. When the camera shows the aircraft beginning its take off roll, the runway markings show that they are using runway 05L to take off from, however, the two runways available at Santa Monica airport are 03 and 21. (01:33:00)
Factual error: Richardson's watching the World cup final (1966) way way before Reg got married to Frances (1965).
Factual error: The role of MI6 shown in the film actually falls under the purview of MI5, Britain's domestic intelligence service; as the country's version of the CIA, MI6's mandate is the covert collection of foreign intelligence overseas.
Factual error: The villain performs his hit at the beginning of the movie by remotely changing the GPS destination of a cab, so they head to the wrong place and into an ambush. Assuming that neither the cabbie or Pope notice the change on screen, and that his sophisticated software silenced the voice announcement of the course being recalculated, and makes the new place also marked as the old one (it is after all a god-like movie software), the trick is done on on a London black cab, whose drivers are notorious for "The Knowledge", aka being required to learn the entire topografy of the city in one of the most demanding training courses in the world, and not using GPS. It'd be definitely unlikely for the cab driver to be totally unaware, to the point of Pope himself noticing first that they are at the wrong place.