Best crime movie factual errors of 1989

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An Innocent Man picture

Factual error: At the end of the film Rainwood has established his innocence of the drug charges and is happily back at work as a senior mechanic for a large airline. However, part of the sentencing and plea bargain protocols at his arraignment is his previous conviction on a lesser drug charge years before. It goes without saying that he did not advise his employers of this when he started work for them - no airline in the world (even pre 9/11) would hire someone with a drug conviction on their record! Now this is out in the open the airline knows that Rainwood is a convicted drug user (on the lesser, legitimate charge) and that he lied on his original job application. They wouldn't hire him again to sweep the floors.

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Suggested correction: Even today in 2023 felony convictions might not show up on a background check. Not all information has been uploaded to the internet yet. It was extremely easy in the 1980's for a conviction to be missed by a background check especially if there was no prison time served or it occurred in a rural county or town.

He just got out of prison and establishing his innocence involved the violent deaths of at least two people. Do you not think that his employers just might have followed his story? He'd be all over the news media. The idea that not one person would have followed up on his criminal history is beyond absurd - we are talking about a safety critical job that involves the safety of hundreds of people.

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Licence to Kill picture

Factual error: When the air hose on the truck is severed, the brakes release. In reality, on an air-braking system, if the air hose is severed, the brakes lock on as a safety measure.

wizard_of_gore

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Blue Steel picture

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.

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Turner & Hooch picture

Factual error: Hooch is a french mastiff. The dog he gets pregnant is a collie. Different breed dogs do not make purebred puppies. Hooch's pups would be part collie, part mastiff. In the end of the movie, one pup is pure mastiff like hooch and 4 are pure collies like their mother.

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Lethal Weapon 2 picture

Factual error: In the scene where Riggs drops the container, there were only two buttons on the control. I've never seen a hoist with a drop button, just an up and down and they are pretty slow. (01:39:25)

EMTurbo

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Drugstore Cowboy picture

Factual error: The motel's billboard advertised HBO, which did not exist in 1971 when the movie was set.

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The Punisher picture

Factual error: After the scene where Frank Castle steals the bus to rescue the children, the mobsters are firing at the bus. Not one bullet pierces a hole in the bus. Who knew Public Transit was bullet proof?

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Fletch Lives picture

Factual error: While Fletch is riding with the bikers, they stop at a stop sign where a family in a station wagon roll up their windows in fear. A sign at a service center in the background is the Castaic Junction, which is in the greater Los Angeles area. The movie is supposed to be taking place in Louisiana. (01:12:35)

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Road House picture

Factual error: When Bigfoot is about to drive through the car dealership it squeals tires with a high pitched squeal. IF it could spin those big meats it would be a deep hound dog like bark. (01:40:40)

EMTurbo

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Tango & Cash picture

Factual error: When Stallone pulls over the cocaine tanker, his first shot at the truck is impossibly accurate at about 300 yards with a two inch barrel revolver, which has a functional range of 25-50 yards. (00:05:00)

Bill McIntyre

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Homer & Eddie picture

Factual error: For someone who has been given one more month (minus the two weeks since her escape from the closed ward) because of a brain tumor Eddie looks way too healthy. (01:03:20)

NancyFelix

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Harlem Nights picture

Factual error: In the opening scene when the guys are shooting craps, Little Quick shoots the large man squarely between the eyes. The man wasn't looking downward and it would have been impossible for a 4 foot tall kid to shoot a 6 foot tall man at that angle squarely in the forehead.

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Dead Bang picture

Factual error: Three different characters (including two police officers) describe the car driven by the bad guys as being a maroon Ford wagon. Yet in the two scenes showing the car, it's a Pontiac.

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Batman picture

Factual error: The Bat signal at the end would not show up like it did in the film. In order to be as clear as it was, as well as visible, it would actually have to shine onto a surface, not just the clouds. They made this same mistake in Returns, but made it believable in the clouds (just not as sharp) in Forever.

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Casualties of War picture

Factual error: When the helicopter comes into the village after Brownie is shot, it is shown displaying the red cross, as well as door machine guns. As a medevac operating under the protection of the red cross, it can't be armed. If it was a dustoff, that would be fine as dustoff choppers are called in as the closest unit to evacuate a casualty is still a combatant aircraft. Since it has the red cross on it, it is not considered to be a combatant and can't be armed.

Steve Kozak

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