Best film noir movie mistakes of all time

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Niagara picture

Continuity mistake: At the Scenic Tunnel Marilyn's lover writes a message to her on a postcard and places it back into the rack. She walks over and reads it but it isn't in the same place that he put it as the postcard next to it is different. (00:33:55)

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The Maltese Falcon picture

Visible crew/equipment: After the ship's captain delivers the Falcon to Sam Spade's office, he collapses on the leather sofa in the foreground. Just after Spade's secretary says, "Is he ...?", the shadow of someone's head passes over the sofa.

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Double Indemnity picture

Factual error: There's a scene when Barbara Stanwyck hides behind an open door to avoid beeing seen by Edward G.Robinson leaving Fred MacMurray`s apartment. To make this possible the apartment door opens outside into the corridor, which is an elegant solution for this situation in the movie. But in the real world no apartment door would open by swinging into the corridor because this would give a visitor standing there a punch on the nose when the resident opens the door.

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The Big Sleep picture

Other mistake: Marlowe fires several shots at Art Huck and Lash Canino but if you look at the chamber when he takes the gun out from under the dashboard, there are no bullets in it. (01:41:45)

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Strangers on a Train picture

Factual error: When Bruno is on his way to Union Station, he's heading on a bridge away from the Lincoln Memorial, which means he's leaving Washington D.C. for Arlington, Virginia, or in other words, he's going the wrong way.

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The Postman Always Rings Twice picture

Revealing mistake: When John Garfield is trying to stop Lana Turner from calling the District Attorney, Garfield holds the receiver up in the air off the hook. Then the phone rings. But a phone cannot ring when it is off the hook.

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The Asphalt Jungle picture

Continuity mistake: Doc Riedenschneider calls on Cobby in a dark hallway with brick walls and a door in the end with a half-open transom. Through this door, in the adjacent room, there are several gangsters seated a table. They go down the hallway and enter this room. In the next scene they have entered and the seated gangsters are suddenly no longer there. Nor is there a transom over the door. The hallway viewed from this room has white walls now instead of brick.

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They Won't Believe Me picture

Other mistake: About two-thirds of the way in, Robert Young re-visits the 'scene of the crime'. While climbing up the steep bank from the ravine, he reaches the top and, and in a very short shot (a few seconds), his shadow is cast upon the painted background scenery.

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Shield for Murder picture

Visible crew/equipment: In the opening scene, Edmund O'Brien grabs a bookie, drags him down an alley, and around a corner. When they round the corner, the entire boom and mic cast a huge shadow against a stark white wall.

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M (1931)

M picture

Revealing mistake: When the camera is tracking in to Peter Lorre whistling in the cafe, part of the screen gets noticeably darker because the camera is blocking one of the lights. This happens in other scenes, noticeably, when the camera makes shadows.

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Jail Bait picture

Continuity mistake: After the operation to change Vic Brady's face, the first time the bandages come off, the scar on his forehead runs diagonal from the top of his nose to well above the eye. However when he's shot by the pool, the scar runs laterally across the middle of his forehead.

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Night and the City picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Fabian goes into his office after receiving the package, he closes the door and the rest of this shot is through the glass. The camera and its operator (with a white shirt) are visible on the right side.

manthabeat

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The Harder They Fall picture

Continuity mistake: Near the end, Eddie knocks down a thug who tries to stop him from putting Toro into a cab. The man's hat falls off and lands on the concrete. He gets up as the cab drives away, then turns to retrieve the hat, which has now moved itself off the sidewalk and into the bushes.

Jean G

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The Woman in the Window picture

Plot hole: Note: Spoiler... The professor attempts to kill himself, not realizing that his blackmailer has been killed by the police. It is then revealed that his misadventures were all a dream. How can you dream of events that are unknown to you?

CC

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White Heat picture

Continuity mistake: In the film's final scenes at the fuel storage facility, full sunlight is streaming through the overhead rafters. Moments later, it's completely dark and the plant's floodlights are all turned on. A few shots further on, the lights are off and it's daylight again.

Jean G

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