Factual error: As Al Pacino is catching up to Robert De Niro on the freeway he uses his walkie talkie to get an update on De Niro's location. He does not take his finger off of the talk button and therefore would not be able to hear the helicopter pilot's response.
Factual error: The route that Hanssen discusses with O'Neil on their way back to the FBI headquarters, from the DIA, is not geographically correct and would not get them from point A to point B.
Factual error: In the scene where the boys are driving to (or from) the dance, while driving down the street, you can clearly see a 1988-1991 Honda Civic hatchback in a driveway. Obviously this car was overlooked since this movie was set in the 1970's.
Factual error: In the scene where they all meet up for Christmas dinner, later they drive to the park and there are green leaves on the trees.
Factual error: Throughout the movie, cars are shown driving on the right side of the road, but in Thailand traffic moves on the left. The movie was actually filmed in the Philippines instead of Thailand due to its subject matter about the Thai legal system.
Factual error: When Claire pulls herself out of the bathtub, she falls right over the center of the tub. The bloody fingerprints would have been wiped away or completely smeared by her nightgown and bathrobe during the fall.
Factual error: In the beginning where John Travolta is going through the gates in his car, he stops to let the guard on duty see his military ID. Under the US seal it has the words "1ST Sarg." printed. Real military ID's would have "1SG / E8" printed on them where he has "1ST Sarg." printed. Also, his expiration date says "12/24/02". This would be printed as "2002DEC24".
Factual error: When Mark and Reggie are fighting over whether or not to go to New Orleans, Mark starts walking toward the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. There would be no need to cross that bridge as New Orleans is due south on Interstate 55. The Memphis-Arkansas Bridge is Interstate 40 and goes to Little Rock, AR or north to St. Louis.
Factual error: During the performance of the Marine Silent Drill Platoon at the very beginning of the movie, they are performing with Springfield 1903 Rifles, whereas the Marines perform with M1 Garands. The reason is that the Texas A&M Fish drill team was being used in the Marines' stead.
Factual error: In the close up shot showing the record on the record player, the label correctly identifies the song that played as Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)" but the label also states it is a "Swing Classic," a classification only used when the record was later reissued. The label is inappropriate for a World War II time frame. (00:16:05)
Factual error: When D.J. is attacked by Dr. Weir, he is grabbed by the throat and is squeezed until his windpipe is broken, shown by the way he was breathing (or struggling to). When Weir seizes him again and throws him against a support beam, he screams in a way impossible for someone who just had his windpipe crushed.
Suggested correction: Dr. Weir doesn't crush DJ's throat at all. The noises he makes are simply choking noises because he is being picked up by his throat, there isn't even anything in the scene to imply his throat is being crushed, which in reality requires considerably more effort than most people believe.
Factual error: After taking off from Bangor, the pilot pulls back on the flight control bringing the plane up to level flight. However, after taking off, a plane is "nose up" and would require pushing forward on the controls to bring the nose down to level. This is also evident by looking at the attitude indicator (circle with top half blue and bottom half brown). The white line indicates the horizon and you can watch the indicator show the plane's attitude coming from below horizon (nose down) to the horizon (level flight).
Factual error: Near the end of the movie, Jacob takes a cab to go back to Brooklyn, supposedly from another part of New York. However, in the next shot, we see that at the beginning of the ride, they are already in Brooklyn (on Division Ave, for those who know Brooklyn).
Factual error: The carriages on Hannay's train feature British Rail 'class' totems on the windows. These didn't appear until the 1950s, yet it is supposedly 1914.
Factual error: After the little girl is taken they play audio of the mother on the phone with 911, the operator says they can't do anything for 24 hours. Police do not wait 24 hours to look for a missing person, especially a child.
Factual error: The story takes place during spring of 1976 but Marty's parents drive a 1979 station wagon.
Factual error: The helicopter used during the exchange is a Mi2, which has not been in service with the Russians since the 1970s.
Factual error: After George and Kathy leave the Doctor's office they drive through town. When they are talking in the car there is a shot where, next to George's face, you can see the sign of the town hall where the scene was filmed, 'Village of Antioch' in Antioch, Illinois. (00:46:00)
Factual error: In one scene, we Dolores driving back home, after the scene where Vera tells her that accidents can 'happen' to wives husbands every day. The shot shows a huge full moon in the sky. Everyone who has every learnt any science/astronomy should know that a huge full moon cannot occur the night before a solar eclipse. (01:29:35)
Factual error: After the hitman Joe shoots Ed in his office and is placing the gun in Ed's hand, it discharges and shoots a hole in the wall. The appearance of the wallpaper around the hole makes it look more like an exit hole than an entrance hole.