Factual error: Buddy Holly is seen singing 'Cryin', Waitin' Hoping' at the Winter Dance Party. He hadn't actually finished composing this song, never mind recording it as a finished piece of work when he went on his final tour. This song comes from his final recordings 'The Apartment Sessions' which he recorded in New York and was finally released after his death, complete with added backing music and vocals.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Eric Stoltz's character, Keith, fresh out of the shower, is confronted by his father about the college money, he has two distinct hairstyles. These two hairstyles show up again at Hardy's house party.
Revealing mistake: When Julian uses a credit card to open the sliding glass door at his parents' home it's obvious that there is no latch or lock where he inserted the card when the door opens.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Loretta goes to the brother's apartment, cooks him a rare steak & they are sitting at the table talking, the label on the bottle of J&B changes direction from shot to shot without being touched.
Continuity mistake: When James is eating at home alone, he flips his spoon into his water glass. In some shots it's leaning against the right side of the glass, and in other shots it's against the left side.
Continuity mistake: Has a scene set during the Festival of Britain (1951). Oldman and Molina are shown at night on the South Bank of the Thames, ostensibly having just attended the Festival. In the background is a very clear view of New Zealand House, which wasn't built until the early 1960s, some ten years after the scene was supposed to take place.
Visible crew/equipment: As Sierge is wrestling with the bear, the shadow of the camera and camera man are visible on the bear. (00:17:55)
Continuity mistake: When Kathleen goes to talk to Carl, her client, while he's in restraints she writes "You're deaf, aren't you!" on a legal pad then sits on his bed. She's holding her Sharpie in her hand, cap end up. When the perspective changes to Carl's, the Sharpie is cap end down. The shots go back and forth another time the same way.
Continuity mistake: When the "ghost" is first seen, it is mostly obscured by a curtain; only its right shoulder is visible. In the next shot, however, it is right in the middle of the window, and nearly the entire cutout is exposed.
Continuity mistake: When Ronald is in the store talking to Cindy about renting her and the salesman is looking at them through the telescope, Ronald has the money in his hand fanned out. When the camera cuts to the store, the money is not fanned out in his hand anymore.
Continuity mistake: When Claudia is being cross examined Dr. Morrison can be seen in the background with his pen in his hand and then his hands clasped, and then with his hands on his cheek throughout the entire scene as the camera angle changes.
Continuity mistake: When the four men are shot at the estate gate there's desk behind them with a hat lying on it. During the shooting the hat gets blown away, but in the next shot from the other side the hat is back in place. (02:00:50)
Continuity mistake: When Lynda is running out of the garden gate after an argument with her father, she throws the rake behind her. In the next scene, when her father steps on it, it is in a completely different position.
Factual error: The bad guys attach over a pound of Semtex to the hull of the First Lady's yacht. When it explodes, the blast shatters the windows in a house a mile away, yet apparently doesn't impact the hull. Even as the vessel burns for 5 minutes, there is no discernible list.
Revealing mistake: Toward the end, after Ricky decapitates the old Mother Superior, a young nun assumes she is alive and taps her shoulder. Mother Superior's head falls off and to the floor. There is no blood whatsoever. The old woman had just been decapitated moments earlier, and there isn't even a drop of blood, not even on the white part of her nun outfit at the neck.
Factual error: In the written introduction, it states that it's the late 12th century, and Richard II is king. "Lionheart" was the nickname of Richard I who ruled in the late 12th century; Richard II didn't rule for another two hundred years.
Continuity mistake: When the chimp, Goofy, is flying using the simulator, he's flying haphazardly and crashes into a red truck. He then turns and smiles at the trainer. In the next shot, he is flying haphazardly again.
Continuity mistake: When Donald Woods meets his wife again at the Lesotho airport, his hair has lost most of the black from being dyed, but once he's on the plane, his hair has become blacker again.
Other mistake: Near the end of the movie, in the mansion overlooking the water, James Woods is eliminating the bodyguards. As he shoots the one at the bathroom sink, blood sprays all over the mirror, but the bullet never breaks the glass.
Continuity mistake: Near the beginning of the film, the soldiers are filling sand bags with mud. Beletsky, whose hands and forearms are covered in wet mud, puts down his sandbag and takes out a photo of his girlfriend. In the next closeup shot of him holding the photo, his hands are suddenly clean and dry. (00:11:00)