Revealing mistake: When a contractor fires a grenade at an enemy technical, the truck visibly explodes and moves upwards before the (most likely) CGI projectile hits it. (01:02:00)
Factual error: The 2 C-class Mercedes Benz' they have in the CIA compound are the newer body styles that came out the year they were filming the movie. The Benghazi attack happened in 2012, the C-class had a different body style then.
Continuity mistake: When the G.R.S. team is on their day off (9/11 anniversary), Tanto is seen video chatting with his wife. In the frontal shot of him, he's using a Samsung smartphone, but in the next shot, it changes to a Blackberry. This is done multiple times throughout the scene.
Factual error: In the scene after the attack begins and military assets are spinning up to go help, when they briefly show the SOC guys loaded into a transport aircraft they all look operator-ish and have high cut fast helmets, but are carrying M16A4's with no optical devices mounted. I don't know of any SOCOM units that wear fast helmets but are issued A4's without an ACOG, ELCAN, aimpoint, etc. (00:15:00 - 01:25:00)
Factual error: When the militants are preparing to burn down the building, a contractor twice reports that they are spreading diesel around. Diesel does not burn under normal circumstances and will only combust under high temperature/pressure. (00:51:50 - 00:52:30)
Suggested correction: "Diesel does not burn under normal circumstances" FALSE. Just like it's Brethren Fuels, Jet - A and Kerosene, Diesel Fuel burns at the touch of a flame. Please don't conflate combustion with ignition.
Diesel will not ignite if you throw a flame into it. The flashpoint of diesel is approximately 140° Fahrenheit (60 Celsius). This means in most ambient temperatures it will not ignite. The fuel would not have ignited in the conditions show in the film.
No, it doesn't. I should know; I've tried it. I've dropped lit matches into a container of diesel fuel. Nothing happened.
Factual error: When the analysts at the CIA Annex are discussing where the GRS operators are, the map they are looking at is not the actual Benghazi compound.
Continuity mistake: During the first firefight with GRS at the CIA annex, Oz is firing and it pans in front of him, where we see his Night Vision Goggles have been hit and broken in half. The next shot is when he gets shot and shows his goggles getting destroyed.
Continuity mistake: More than halfway through the movie, the "Americans" set base at a really nice house. They get attacked several times while at that house. Every time the "Americans" get attacked and people died, there aren't bodies lying around the next time they get attacked, and no-one removes the bodies either.
Continuity mistake: At 8:40 PM on September 11th, the sun has not set. The sun would have set over an hour before on that date. In fact, the sun would never be shining that late; sunset on the longest day of the year is around 8:20 PM. (00:39:38)
Factual error: The movie is set in 2012. The S class Mercedes has a stereo camera as a sensor for advanced driver assistance systems, only introduced in 2013.
Visible crew/equipment: When the G.R.S. team drive to Chris Stevens residence, they encounter a road block; one of the cars being a pickup truck with a machine gun (commonly called "Technicals"). In several rear shots from behind it, there is a camera and operator on the edge of the hood. The cameraman is covered by a black sheet to make it difficult to see him.
Continuity mistake: When terrorists start to attack the Ambassador's residence, Chris Stevens is seen putting on a black plate carrier vest. The one he is seen putting on has a cummerbund which lifts up to open. However, in the next several shots and until he isn't seen again, he has a side opening vest, which is actually an IBA (Interceptor Body Armor). This armor opens like a flak jacket by pulling the left flap.
Visible crew/equipment: After leaving the Ambassador's compound and returning to the Annex after Ambassador Stevens decides to stay at the compound, Rone is asked how did it go, where he replies "He's a rock star. Everybody in Benghazi knew he'd be there" and walks indoors. Whilst Rone walks through the doorway, the reflection of the camera and cameraman can be seen reflected in the glass pane of the door as the camera passes by. (00:33:45)
Visible crew/equipment: At 12:17am, after the police car slows down and speeds back up in front of the Annex, Rone says "Oz? This is where we make our stand." Whilst Rone is talking, the camera is panning down on Oz who is keeping watch and the shadow of the camera can be seen cast on the top of the wall towards the left of shot. (01:27:35)
Factual error: Toward the end of the movie there is a shot over the Mediterranean Sea with the sun rising. The shoreline at Benghazi generally runs northeast-southwest, meaning the point of view would be somewhere between these two directions. If we assume that the point of view is generally straight out to sea, this would make the point of view northwest.
Other mistake: During the scene when Jack's wife is ordering at McDonald's, the little girls are mouthing the lines as the others are saying them.
Factual error: Sean Smith is shown playing "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" on an Xbox. That game was released on November 4th, 2014, over two years after the date of the attack (September 11-12, 2012).
Suggested correction: It was Modern Warfare being shown on the TV. Advance warfare uses exo suits and can't be missed.
Visible crew/equipment: When the Annex is being invaded by the Tangos, one of the GRS team members is shown running across the courtyard whilst Oz, off-screen says "We got about 25-30 Tangos." About a second before the shot ends, the shadow of the camera can be seen cast on the wall of the building whilst the man is running and is then cast on a tree in the foreground of the shot. (01:32:05)
Continuity mistake: In the beginning scene when Jack Silva is being picked up at the airport he's shown getting into the range rover in a blue button down shirt, sport coat and blue jeans. When they return to the CIA annex he exits the vehicle in khaki cargo pants and a lighter button down shirt. His bags were placed in the rear cargo area of the vehicle, tier 1 operators would not stop in a hostile environment to change clothes. (00:04:10 - 00:09:35)
