Factual error: In one scene they attempt to divert the ship by manually activating the ship's bowthruster. A thruster is a propeller in a transverse direction. This allows the ship to turn more efficiently when docking. However the thruster loses any efficiency above approximately 5 knots. In the film they use it at 17 knots. Secondly, a thruster is powered by an electric motor of at least 500 kW, yet they manage to turn it by hand. That handle does not exist in real life, and no one would be able to turn it anyway.
Factual error: The opening scene shows the 1979 NYC skyline with the World Financial Center (now known as Brookfield Place) visible, which wasn't built at that time.
Factual error: Contrary to popular belief, sudden cabin depressurization in a jet plane will not cause anyone to be sucked out of the plane (unless they are sitting right up against a blown-out window), nor will it cause the aircraft to go out of control or crash.
Factual error: In the gunfight on the Nile-boat, you can often see (and hear) Rick fire his revolvers 20-24 times in totum without reloading. The guns he has would only take 6 rounds per gun (MAS 1873 revolvers).
Factual error: When Goodspeed crashes the Ferrari, his airbag deploys and he must shoot it to get out of the car. In reality, airbags inflate and deflate again in less than a second - the gas escapes through vents or the material itself, so there's no way for one to stay inflated.
Factual error: When lava engulfs the streets, aluminum light poles do not melt (it has a melting point of 1,212° Fahrenheit), yet entire vehicles with steel frames melt into the flow (steel melts at 2,750° Fahrenheit). Lava reaches around 2,000°.
Factual error: During the scene where everyone runs outside, the Statue of Liberty head crashes into the street. The head is scaled too small and its size can be compared to the people taking pictures. In real life the statue head is large enough for people to walk into (17' from chin to cranium).
Suggested correction: The head is actually scaled too large, about 1.5x its real size.
Factual error: At the end we see a soldier replacing the canister that the Zyklon B is kept in. However, he is not wearing an SS badge as all SS soldiers did. Zyklon B was only handled by members of the SS, as no other unit had authorisation to carry the sensitive stuff. (01:28:00)
Factual error: A plastic bucket is seen. Plastic buckets were invented in the 60s. (00:50:05)
Suggested correction: There's no plastic bucket seen. If you're referring to the bucket cops are using at the crime, there's a shot of the bucket on its side and you can tell there's a metal bottom.
Factual error: In the beginning of the movie, Leah Templeton is killed on Feb 26. Then the newspaper obituary that Jordan had hanging on her locker door says that Leah's service was to be held at 11am on Feb 27. That is not enough time to prepare the body and get her ready for her funeral by 11am the next morning, especially since it's a murder under investigation.
Factual error: After the first victim they claim to have found a shell with 'Megan Turner' on it. That's not possible as we see Ron Silver fire at the victim and immediatley run away. If it had been an automatic then the gun would eject the shell, but it's a revolver, which doesn't eject shells.
Factual error: During the custody hearing, the Maryland flag in the courtroom is upside down. The rule for a Maryland flag is "black and gold, top of the pole," this flag has the red symbol at the top.
Factual error: When Jean-Claude is chased by the helicopter in the woods alongside the river, the man in the helicopter fires a MP5 machinegun, but it causes huge explosions, this is impossible, it's not a grenade launcher!
Factual error: We see Jason Statham walking into a shop in 1971 which has a Visa/Barclaycard logo on the door. Only problem with that is that the name Visa wasn't brought in until 1977.
Factual error: The actual Tsavo lions responsible for the killings had no manes - see for yourself; they are on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. [The filmmakers employed artistic license in using maned lions. They were also certain to include - at the very end of the movie - footage of the real Tsavo man eaters, as they appear in the Field Museum.]
Factual error: The scene where Nightfox steals the Faberge Egg is all wrong. A laser security system must have a photoelectric receptor at the other side to detect if somebody pass between the two devices. As shown in the film, the laser beams points everywhere, so the system can't work and somebody could cross a beam without starting the alarm. Even if it was some weird system based on measuring distance it wouldn't work - if the laser hits the floor at an angle it won't bounce back to the source, it will reflect towards the ceiling.
Factual error: In the movie, when the elevator ("the fall") reaches the middle of the planet, everything turns weightless. In reality, everything should have turned weightless as soon as the elevator was dropped, given they're in freefall.
Factual error: There is no possible way to cause a power line to drop from its support pylons and hit a person on target. These wires are fastened extremely securely, designed to withstand extremely high tension through all kinds of weather, and they are not equipped with some sort of explosive charges to release them.
Factual error: When Joe Patroni is attempting to move the stuck 707, Bakersfeld is standing beside his car watching, very close to the plane. Without some form of hearing protection, he would have been very quickly deafened by the noise - a 707 at takeoff thrust is incredibly loud. I once watched a 707 take off from about a half mile away and forgot to cover my ears - it was so loud it actually hurt.
Factual error: At the end when they are loading Dewey into the ambulance on the stretcher, it is standard procedure to put the patient neck brace when they receive any type of unknown injuries (stab wounds) to their back as Dewey did - it was notably absent.