Factual error: The police officer that shows up does two stupid things in a row that real police would never do. When investigating a kidnapping, he calls in what the car was they were looking for. Which he sees. Instead of calling for back up, or even mentioning to dispatch that he found a car that looks like it, after coming from a murder scene at a gas station and following a map left behind to this spot, he approaches the car alone, without calling for back up, or drawing his weapon. Shortly thereafter, he finds the kidnapped boy inside the car, who tells him the man who took him is in the house. The officer then proceeds to go into the house alone to look for a dangerous kidnapper without waiting for backup, even mentioning to the kid that his partner is on the way. (00:32:00 - 00:33:35)
Factual error: There are no law enforcement agencies referred to as "Mounties" in Alaska, or any elk.
Factual error: Michael boards a commuter train at Grand Central, which then stops at subway stations at 68th Street, 86th Street, and 110th Street along Lexington Avenue. This is impossible.
Factual error: Simon receives an email notification at the dinner table from Blue on his cell phone. The cell phone screen indicates that the time is 3:20, which is inaccurate for a mealtime because it is already dark outside and crickets are chirping when he excuses himself to go outside to get some air. (00:28:10)
Factual error: In the police shoot out scene, you can see that the plate carriers the actors are wearing are really empty. Brolin sticks his hand into Forsing's vest after he was shot, the vest easily folds away. You can also see in various shots how theirs vest bend with their bodies, in a way they wouldn't if they had plating in as they should to protect from bullets.
Factual error: Second scene, caption says "1977 southern California" but she's driving a white 90's Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Fwd station wagon.
Factual error: Three men are having beer one night in the woods. One man says he has a picture of a girl he took the previous Tuesday. When he goes to get the picture (which would be on his phone), he complains that he can't show it because there is no signal reception. You don't need a signal to show a photo you took on your phone. (00:07:10)
Factual error: Wilde and Bosie meet at a railway station that is just signed "Rouen." There were then two main railway stations in Rouen: Rouen-Rive-Droite and Rouen Saint-Sever (or Rouen-Rive-Gauche). Neither would have a sign saying just "Rouen."
Factual error: When Lukas takes Sarah to school (on Friday or only a couple days after taping his laceration), the laceration is much smaller (practically healed) and there are only three strips of tape. A laceration as wide as the one Lukas had would not heal within a couple, few, or even several days. Also, the way Lucas taped his laceration would not yield the same/similar results as sutures (even closure and faster healing with little scar). (00:15:43 - 00:16:31)
Factual error: When Buster joins the card game in the saloon, he looks at the hand of the player that had just left. Given the circumstances in the saloon, the cards cannot be spot clean and white as fresh snow. Also, they seem to be plastic cards, which did not exist yet back then.
Factual error: Stan's wife Ida says St. Petersburg, Russia, is a nice place to visit. The city's name did not change from Leningrad to St. Petersburg until 1991.
Factual error: There is absolutely no way the university would have the authority to have the church torn down by a demo team when Dave and Pearce find them doing just that. Nowhere near enough time has passed for eminent domain laws to have been enacted. It often takes a year or more just for these things to go to trial, and there's a good chance the university would lose the case anyways.
Factual error: The vehicles in the convoy are supposed to be armored since the bullet fired by 50 BMG was absorbed into the glass. First off the vehicles are standard, not up armored since the windows are standard factory and not thick ones used in up-armored cars. The highest rated armored car is B7 which will stop armor piercing not 50 BMG. Also, the windows completely shatter after being shot out; armored windows will never shatter, they stick together and chip off. (00:03:00 - 00:05:00)
Factual error: An ambulance is shown. This movie is supposed to take place in a latin country. But the ambulance says "Ambulance" in English, and worse, it also says "Riverside County." Also, the red cross emblems on the attendants' backs say "Comite" in Spanish, "International" in English, and "Geneve" in French. (00:28:55)
Factual error: Detective Summerville tells Sean that his wife got a rental Kia from Budget paying in cash. But Budget does not allow the initial cost to be paid in cash; the payment must come from credit or debit card, cash can be used only as the last payment when you return the car. (00:37:30)