Best drama movie plot holes of all time

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The Butterfly Effect picture

Plot hole: When Evan is in jail with the religious prisoner trying to get him to help him get his journals back he goes to the scene where he is drawing that homicidal picture in kindergarten, but he gets up and puts the spikes that holds documents through his hands, creating a stigmata-style scar. The religious guy in the cell with him is so amazed because of this he thinks Evan is a prophet and he decides to help him. If Evan had gone back in time and got those scars on his hands, he would have changed the original timeline and would have arrived in jail with those scars the whole time. Some people try to correct this using the "If I can create scars, then can I fix them?" statement Evan made to defend the mistake and suggest he can create instant scars but he was using the word "scars" to refer to the negative events; not literal scars on his body. The scar he got when he burned himself in the past didn’t magically appear on him the moment he returned from the past; it became part of a new, slightly altered timeline (just like the scars on his hands should have been) and it let him know he can change history.

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Suggested correction: This isn't necessarily a correction so much as a possible explanation. It's possible that the religious inmate (I think his name was Carlos) just simply didn't see the scars on Evan's hands when he first came to the prison in the timeline where he got the scars or Evan knew to hide them in the scar timeline (due to the fact that it was the sole purpose of him going back) and due to his fanaticism he didn't question him a second time.

Nope, after jamming those things in his hands Evan simply came into the prison with the scars already on his hands and would have never thought of showing the religious guy his powers using that particular moment in the past to convince him, or doing what he did a second time as he already had done it. It doesn't matter if the religious guy didn't see them before, they won't be the object of Evan convincing him. He would have had to try it some other way, each and ever time. That how this time travel works and its definitely a plot hole that it worked as it did, whilst it shouldn't have. Of course, it's a time travel movie and they never make sense.

lionhead

Additionally, the inmate was looking at Evan's palms when Evan traveled back, and when he returned to the present, the inmate remarked that the stigmata marks came out of nowhere.

Phaneron

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Mission to Mars picture

Plot hole: When Tim Robbins is floating away in space his wife could have easily saved him. She could go out a little further, use the grappler to catch her husband, then use the fuel she has remaining to halt their acceleration towards the planet and return them partway to the necessary orbital altitude/velocity to rendezvous with the resupply module. Then, Gary Sinise could come out partway to them using his thrusters, Connie could shoot the grappler out to him, and he could reel both Connie and Tim Robbins back in to the resupply module.

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Days of Thunder picture

Plot hole: I have never seen a Daytona 500 race where the winner is immediately left completely alone and is able to walk over to his crew chief who is still at the pit wall and hold a quiet conversation.

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The Interpreter picture

Plot hole: Toward the end of the movie, it is revealed that Silvia spent the night in the secure room where the Matabo President was taken after the assassination attempt so that she could be alone with him and threaten to kill him. With the U.N. and Secret Service on alert for an assassination attempt, wouldn't they have swept the secure room right before the Matabo President arrived that day? In addition, Silvia would have had to use her access card to get in that area of the building, so there would be a record of her being in the building but not at her station. Wouldn't that raise some suspicion long before Tobin figures it out?

Allyson

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The Sum of All Fears picture

Plot hole: When the President of the United States attends a public gathering (such as the SuperBowl) the level of security is extremely high. So why wasn't Mason's delivery on the day of the game checked for explosive devices?

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The Lake House picture

Plot hole: When Kate went to the aid of the man lying in the street, she was very upset about his death. Would she not have got his name being that she works in a hospital? Also she could have easily Googled him in 2006 to find out where he was or that he had died already. It seemed an obvious ending that she would save his life to change history.

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Into the Night picture

Plot hole: When Diana turns up at her director friend's house she finds it crawling with cops as his girlfriend Christie has been murdered and the house is now a crime scene. She explains she lent Christie a coat and is there to pick it up - and a cop helpfully finds it on the floor and hands it to her. Are we to believe that a homicide policeman will hand over an artifact from a murder scene to an unidentified woman without making any attempt to confirm her identity, or even if the coat is even hers!? They don't even ask.

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Sing picture

Plot hole: There's no way that Eddie and Nana left the flooded theater without getting a single drop of water on them. The water flooded up to the ceiling and there's no other way to exit besides the front doors, and Moon's secret exit, which also floods. They do not leave through either way.

ryderpoints

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Christine picture

Plot hole: George Lebay says that his brother died "6 weeks ago" inside Christine and that's why he's selling it. Later that evening after Arnie leaves his house and goes to Darnell's, Will Darnell says he "knew a guy who owned a car like that" and "the bastard killed himself in it." If it's only been 6 weeks since his death, shouldn't Darnell have recognized the car? It's not like there were lots of red Plymouth Furies (custom order color) running around the small town, let alone the USA, even in 1978. (Also considering how production even had a hard time finding them for the movie).

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Suggested correction: He says he knew a guy with a car like that. It doesn't have to be the same colour or even the same generation. Just a Plymouth Fury.

lionhead

Darnell basically said he knew THE brother of Lebay, not just some guy who owned a similar car. Darnell described Lebay's brother based on the story. Again, it was him, not just some other guy.

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Star Trek picture

Plot hole: Despite their awareness of the red matter and the power of the singularity, no one on the bridge had the common sense to suggest pulling back to a safe distance. Nero had already refused their assistance so there was no need to stay so close to the singularity. And when a black hole was created inside Vulcan, an officer mentioned they had to reach minimum safe distance, so they know what they need to do, but no-one does it. (01:00:30)

Teru_Kage

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Den of Thieves picture

Plot hole: One of the bank robbers, a former soldier, Ray Merrimen just got paroled 8 months ago for a previous felony. This film takes place in California. Convicted felons are prohibited by law from touching or owning firearms. Merrimen is at a public shooting-range with CCTV shooting his firearm. The police officer tracking him since he's a suspect in a new string of former and recent holdups walks into the shooting-range and they just stare at each other. He could've been busted and sent back. (01:03:45 - 01:06:00)

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Courage Under Fire picture

Plot hole: Sgt Monfriez would have never been on a medevac helicopter with an automatic weapon. I served several years in U.S Army Medical units and they are allowed defensive weaponry only, medical units are not ever issued automatic weapons period. The plot says the Monfriez is from another unit and is asked to accompany the medevac but that would never happen; it is against the law of land warfare to put an automatic weapon on any type of ambulance vehicle.

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Snake Eyes picture

Plot hole: The original ending planned was a massive tropical storm/water based chase scene. However, this was decided to be too expensive, and was switched for a cheaper, and some say weaker ending. Nonetheless, in Nicholas Cage's final speech, he says "I keep thinking about that tunnel, and what would have happened if I'd drowned." This makes no sense, given that in the new ending he came nowhere near a tunnel or drowning.

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Vantage Point picture

Plot hole: During Howard's flashback the viewer sees from his point of view the two SS agents who had been following Enrique fire multiple shots at the now revealed Spanish police officer as he was talking to another police officer (Javier) who had just approached him. The scene ends leading the viewer to believe Enrique was killed by the SS agents. However, in the final scene when it's revealed that he was in fact killed by Javier the SS agents significant fire (9 shots I counted) and presence is completely forgotten. (00:40:00 - 01:12:00)

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Goal! picture

Plot hole: At the beginning, it shows Santiago crossing the border into the U.S. But the U.S. border patrol is on the Mexican side.

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Byzantium picture

Plot hole: Ruthven is apparently bitter that he has been denied his chance of becoming an immortal vampire after Clara steals the map from him, which is why he attacks Eleanor. But why doesn't he just go to the island anyway? You don't need to be invited - Clara, Eleanor and Frank aren't. Having been there once, it seems highly unlikely he can't find it again - he's a naval captain, so navigation and observation are major professional skills for him. And it isn't hidden or magically protected - the local boatmen know where it is and are prepared to take people there, although they won't set foot on it themselves. He could quite easily have gone there without the map, entered the shrine and been turned into a vampire if that's what he wanted.

Necrothesp

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Lakeview Terrace picture

Plot hole: At the end, when Chris finds the informant's phone, he sees that there are 2 voicemail messages. Instead of listening to them, he calls the last number, which reveals Abel is responsible for the break-in when he answers and in turn reveals to Abel that Chris knows about the break-in. It would make more sense to just listen to the voicemails, as Chris became immediately suspicious when he saw them. Considering Chris called the last number, he must have known that the last number was also the person who left the voicemails. Very deliberately done to bring realizations between Chris and Abel for a climax.

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Sherlock Holmes picture

Plot hole: After the scene at the Houses of Parliament where Irene Adler escapes through the sewer from the clutches of Lord Blackwood, she suddenly appears at Tower Bridge, about 3 miles away. Even assuming she ran there and the journey was skipped, going there makes zero sense. It slows her down, leaves her exposed and limits her exit points - she's got all of London to escape into! (01:48:00)

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The Wicker Man picture

Plot hole: Sergeant Howie is expected to report back to the mainland on the same day he left, and since he took a valuable aircraft with him on his trip it is inconceivable that his superior officers would not come looking for him if he didn't show up. First they would try contacting him on his radio and not receiving a reply they'd send out a search party, and they would do so within twenty four hours. Missing police officers are taken very, very seriously indeed.

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