Best mystery movie continuity mistakes of all time

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In the Heat of the Night picture

Continuity mistake: In the wide angle shot of Chief Gillespie approaching Virgil Tibbs at the train station, there is a dog on the platform, in between Gillepsie and Tibbs. In the next shot, a closer view of Gillespie approaching Tibbs, the dog is gone.

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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil picture

Continuity mistake: When the Lady Chablis "crashes" the debutante ball - she leaves her purse on the table while she dances, and then forgets to retrieve it before she leaves. (01:44:35 - 02:07:50)

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Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning picture Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Jason chases Pam with a clean machete, however in the shot just before he's hit by the tractor, the machete is bloody. (01:10:40 - 01:11:20)

Hamster

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Donnie Darko picture

Continuity mistake: When Cherita makes her mark on the lifeline blackboard, there are some smudges on the broad chalk line. In the next shot, the line is perfect again. (00:41:30)

Phoenix

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Vanilla Sky picture

Continuity mistake: When the panel of doctors are being queried by Aames, for the second time of the loop of this interview, the black box containing the mask can clearly be seen in the bottom right hand corner on the desk when the camera swings to the main doctor. When the camera pans back again, it is gone, and it is only after this that the assistant brings in the box.

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K-Pax picture

Continuity mistake: In one of the first family scenes, the youngest daughter shows she has lost a tooth. The next shot, the tooth is back in her mouth. (00:15:10)

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Death on the Nile picture

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Bette Davis has lost her shawl there is a shot of her and Maggie Smith from far away. They talk about the time and in the background Angela Lansbury is drinking. She puts down her glass and leans her head on her hand. Then the shot changes to a close-up of Bette Davis and Maggie Smith and you can see Angela Lansbury in the background, with the glass in her hand, just about to take a drink. (00:55:05)

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Columbo: Prescription Murder picture

Continuity mistake: At the very end Fleming sees the dead body of his girlfriend being hoisted onto a gurney - she is soaking wet, having been hauled out of the swimming pool. Later we see it is a policewoman acting as a stand-in in order to fool him into talking - and after a few minutes under a blanket on the gurney she, her bikini, and her hair are all bone dry. Not only that, her hair looks like it has just been styled and her makeup is perfect.

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Breach picture

Continuity mistake: The "Power Play" scene when Eric and Hanssen are in the car after a cancelled meeting (13). With Eric's line, "There's construction on E Street," the Kennedy Center appears behind his head, but in the next shot of him ("Sir, I'm SSG.,") the Kennedy Center shows up again, this time farther ahead of the car. (01:05:55)

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A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors picture

Continuity mistake: During the opening credits, Kristen is making a Papier-mâché house, and in the process, her hands become covered in mixture. However suddenly both her hands are completely clean. (00:02:10)

Hamster

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The Big Sleep picture

Continuity mistake: Marlowe sits in front of Joe Brody's apartment building, The Randall Arms. Later as he follows the gunman that shot Brody we see it from inside the car and the registration stickers are different. (00:47:40 - 00:57:20)

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Cube picture

Continuity mistake: In the opening, the camera zooms in on an eye that is a very light greyish blue. The camera then cuts to a man lying on the floor. The implication is that it's this man's eye. However, the man's eyes are brown.

THGhost

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The Pledge picture

Continuity mistake: When Jack Nicholson is driving his truck through the field in a rush to get to the church to save the little girl, you see the truck bouncing through the bumps. In some scenes, the truck has crash bars in the front, then they disappear, and reappear again.

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The Black Dahlia picture

Continuity mistake: In the morgue scene, the coroner states that Elizabeth Short had a wound inflicted on her right hand, but then in the pornography scene, she grips the bed post with her left hand.

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Congo picture

Continuity mistake: When Dr. Ross meets her boss at the cart, as they walk towards the large building, the sunlight on the building changes between shots. (00:06:10)

Hamster

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A Few Good Men picture

Continuity mistake: During the trial at the end, Jessup struggles with the MPs to get to Danny Kaffee. After the struggle, his tie is all out of place. In the following close-up shots, it's re-aligned, before becoming completely askew as Jessup goes to retrieve his hat.

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