Factual error: During the fight scene with Sandman in the armored car, the Terminal Tower can be seen in the background, which is a landmark in Cleveland, Ohio (where the scene was shot), not in New York City.
Factual error: When Swagger is fleeing from the police in the car wash after being shot, the radio says that he is at a car wash at 9th and Girard. There is no such intersection. On Girard Ave, 9th street picks up south and north of that street.
Factual error: Ben, Abigail and Riley arrive at the Library of Congress to take the President's Book very late at night. However the Library of Congress, despite being shown as open, consistently closes at 5 PM.
Factual error: In the final standoff, Smith shoots Hertz by holding cartridges between his fingers in the fire. This is not remotely believable. The casings, weighing much less than the bullets, would have been blasted off while the bullets themselves would have gone nowhere. (01:15:15)
Factual error: If you pay attention to the backgrounds of the scene where Frank is in the airport and when Frank is being arrested as he walks from the church, you can see two cars pass by which weren't produced until at least 2000.
Factual error: During the chase with the semi, McClane is shown struggling to keep the truck under control with the freeway collapsing/blowing up all around him. He is shown making a left turn on a ramp, and the truck going up on 9 wheels, almost rolling. The shot cuts back to McClane steering left to to try to control the truck. If he were to steer left, as depicted, he would be guaranteed to roll the truck. If he was trying to get the wheels back down, he'd have to steer into the roll, or right, to bring it back on the wheels. At the end of the shot, you can actually see the stuntman brings the wheels down with a short right turn of the steering wheel. The similar entry in corrections is right, the person making the correction is wrong. During 15 years of driving a semi, I had a very similar situation with the truck almost rolling. I had to steer into the roll to bring the truck back on the wheels, not away from it, as the film showed McClane doing.
Factual error: Mikaela hot wires the tow truck by twisting two conveniently exposed and very long wires together. Allowing that this could work at all in a modern vehicle, it can't steer until the ignition lock is turned or removed, neither of which she does. (01:55:55)
Factual error: The uniform the female soldier is wearing when she comes back home is all wrong: the camo pattern is that of the USMC digital desert uniform but it has "US ARMY" chest tags (in a strange size and position, by the way). The US flag and unit insignia are on the wrong arms. The cut of the jacket is ACU, the pants are true USMC. (00:15:00)
Factual error: Firearm issues abound throughout the film. The British detectives (who all seem to be armed, rather than a low proportion of AFO (Authorised Firearms Officers) as in real life) are shown carrying Beretta pistols, even though the Metropolitan Police issue the Glock 17. The SFO (Specialist Firearms Operations) officers are shown carrying MP5 submachineguns, which is accurate, but fitted with cheap toy-shop lasers. Weapons handling is poor throughout, with chickenwing syndrome particularly prevalent. Weapons carriage also appears geared to look "cool" rather than realistic; shoulder holsters - which practically everyone wears in this film - are rarely used for concealed carry in reality.
Factual error: A SEAL team is sent in to Afghanistan; first they're referred to as "SEAL team Baker One", then a moment later they're "Ranger team Baker One". There's no part of that that isn't wrong. To make matters worse, the gear, weaponry and tactics they use are all wrong too as well as a single team being dispatched highly unlikely.
Factual error: At the end, you can see Kimberly hanging in the background. After being cut in half, I doubt your clothes would stay on. (01:26:00)
Factual error: At the end of the film, SGT Angel gets into his Police car Subaru Impreza, and on the bonnet it has the writing 'Sandford Constabulary'. This is incorrect, it would in fact be 'Gloucestershire Constabulary' as established at the start of the film that Sandford is in Gloucestershire. A Constabulary is always named after the County, never after a tiny village within that County. (01:49:35)
Factual error: Karl Wolfschtagg's Olympic uniform should have read 'DDR' (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the German name) rather than 'GDR', the English name for East Germany. Olympic country names are customarily rendered in their native language.
Factual error: At the 28 minute mark, the Wild Hogs cross the Taos River Gorge Bridge in Taos, New Mexico. Shortly after the scene with the skinny dipping, they drive down the road and at the 34 minute mark, the sign on the right says, 'Missouri State Lane.' I never knew Missouri was inside the state of New Mexico.
Factual error: The Commissioner's secretary, a police constable, wears a shoulder number consisting of four digits only. Metropolitan Police constables' shoulder numbers always have two letters above three digits.
Factual error: When Bourne is traveling to London on the Eurostar from Paris, immediately after the 'flashback' where Marie floats away after being killed, there are two helicopter shots of the Eurostar traveling to London. The second (far away) shot shows the train passing over a motorway. The train is actually traveling towards Paris, and therefore away from London. The motorway is the M20 and the bridge is approximately 3 miles west of junction 9 for Ashford (Kent). The train would have been 10 minutes away from entering the Channel Tunnel. (00:13:45)
Factual error: Although the movie was set a few years after the Civil War, the train was equipped with modern automatic couplers.
Factual error: Hadrian's Wall is facing the wrong direction. The Wall was built to defend Britannia from the Picts in Scotland; therefore, its front should face north. However, as the Romans approach it from the south, they are greeted by the sheer face of the Wall.
Factual error: When Stowe and Callaghan shoot each other at the end, the CGI shell casings have huge, unrealistic primers.
Factual error: In Las Vegas Paris and The Vencian are not next to each other. They farther part then that. Next to Paris is Ballys. (00:53:10)