Continuity mistake: When the eight men are walking through the fields near the start, Vin Diesel has a cigarette. In some shots it is considerably longer than in previous shots. (00:39:45)
Continuity mistake: Right before Capazzo dies he holds up the letter, but it's in a zip-lock bag. After the sniper is killed the medic retrieves the soaking wet, unbagged letter.
Suggested correction: The letter is never in any bag, plastic or otherwise. It's always bare or else he wouldn't be worried if there is blood on it. Zip-lock bags weren't invented until the 1950's anyway.
Other mistake: Private Mellish and another fellow Airborne soldier are manning the .30 cal belt fed machine-gun, and they're quickly running out of ammunition. Private Upham is the ammo bearer, he's supposed to be "Johnny on the spot" with the ammo. After Mellish displaces and sets up a new field of fire he tells Upham to get more .30 cal and to tell the Captain the flank's going to collapse. As Upham is dodging German gunfire he runs by a wall covered with fresh red blood spray. Nobody from that crew was shot yet. (02:15:29 - 02:17:00)
Factual error: Captain Miller screams the tank is "still in this fight" and he gets on top of the SdKfz 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Tank, and fires his Thompson .45 ACP sub-gun into the view port of the Tiger. Those tanks' viewports were defended by 50-80mm of bulletproof glass and an armoured steel shutter for the driver and commanders cupola. That whole action would have achieved nothing. (02:17:00 - 02:18:00)
Factual error: In the very beginning as the landing craft approaches, and they then begin to disembark, no-one has their helmet chip strap secured. Then attacking the beach, and much throughout the movie, no chip straps. There is no way in real battle you would not secure your lid.
Factual error: The M1 Garands throughout the film all have post-War era rear sights. The type used during WW2 were called "Lock Bar," distinguished by a "bar" that ran across the right sight knob. M1 Garands manufactured or refurbished after WW2 will lack these types of sights.
Continuity mistake: At the end when Ryan brings the wounded sergeant to the other side of the bridge, Reiben starts to make his turn to provide covering fire for the Captain. He repeats the exact same movement two shots later.
Audio problem: When Ryan and Miller make their way to the bridge, they reload and fire their weapons behind sandbags. Miller begins to fire his Thompson but it jams and we see him try to rack the charging handle to fix it. He then tries to fire again but the gun fails to do so; all while we hear the sound of the Thompson firing. The editors added the sound of it firing despite the fact that it jams in the final cut.
Continuity mistake: When we see Ryan walking at the very start, he walks past a group of 3 people walking in the other direction. Camera cuts to show the front of Ryan and behind him and the people have miraculously disappeared. There is no way the could have walked out of sight, and there is no way they couldn't have arrived in sight either. (00:01:10)
Continuity mistake: When Mellish is stabbed, at first there's no blood on his shirt, but then there is, even before the knife touches him.
Audio problem: On the beach, a soldier with a B.A.R. puts his arm around Captain Miller's neck and says they don't have a chance. His line carries over to the next shot of Miller unwrapping his Thompson, but we can see that soldier behind Miller, and he's not talking. (00:16:00)
Continuity mistake: When Mike crosses the bridge at the end he gets shot and is helped by a soldier. From the German view the bridge is clear, then it cuts to the American side and Mike and the soldier are exiting the bridge to their left towards Miller. A motorbike and sidecar have now appeared behind them and a crouching American soldier is next to the motorbike halfway across the bridge.
Revealing mistake: When Steamboat Willie shoots a paratrooper running across the bridge who falls off and into the water in the middle right of the bridge you can see a crewmember's right arm in the shot.
Revealing mistake: When Mellish is stabbed, there's already a hole in his shirt before he's stabbed.
Revealing mistake: If you look at the river under the bridge and all other shoots it isn't flowing yet it is quite shallow. In one shot the wind is blowing the surface.The river was purpose built along with the town on former British Aerospace Factory in Hatfield Herts and the river is a shallow oblong mini lake the runs the width of the set.
Continuity mistake: When James Ryan from Minnesota is told his brothers died, the arm behind him disappears and reappears depending on the angle.
Other mistake: In the final battle scene, soldiers jump on top of a German tank and throw a few grenades in. While the sound of the grenade's fragments bouncing around the tank can be heard, there is no sign of the actual explosion.
Continuity mistake: While they are preparing to defend the bridge towards the end, Mellish tells Upham to be "Johnny on the spot with the ammo." and proceeds to put 2 30 cal. belts around Upham's neck. In the first shot the bullets are pointed down, when the shot changes the bullets are pointed up.
Continuity mistake: When the unit finds the first Private Ryan, after he hears his brothers are dead, he leans towards his superior officer as he cries, but in the next scene he has his face buried in the officer's chest.
Other mistake: When Ryan and Miller are using the mortars without the tube, there is one shot of a German soldier being hit and falling forward. A couple of seconds later this same shot is used again. (02:21:30)
