Plot hole: When Joshua is trying to guess the launch codes, it gets the characters one by one and "locks" them in. You can't "guess" a code like this. You have to get the whole thing correct at one time. Why would it take so long for Joshua to guess each character, if that's how things worked? If the code consists of letters and numbers then there's only 36 per character.
Plot hole: Why is David the only one aware that the computer is still playing the game? The NORAD people should have been aware the "simulation" was still running including the countdown. They believed the Soviets were really carrying out troop movements and bomber attacks over Alaska, did they never once look at the screen telling them "game time elapsed/remaining" and conclude none of it was real?
Factual error: When Joshua/WOPR calls David back, the sound David hears on the phone not only isn't what modems actually sounded like, but in reality, the answering modem makes the initial sound to start communications, not the calling modem. The calling modem remains quiet until it hears what start tone the answering side answers with so it can start negotiating baud rate, encoding method (FSK vs PSK), etc.
Other mistake: When David and his dad are sitting at the dining table, dad butters his bread to roll his corn on the cob. You can see that the butter melts on the corn and bread, but then he bites into the corn and finds that it is raw. Raw means uncooked and the cob would be cold, therefore the butter wouldn't melt.
Visible crew/equipment: Immediately after the scene where they are removing chairs from the launch facility and installing electronic relays, there is a panning close-up shot of the WOPR. When the camera reaches the end of the WOPR, there appears to be red fabric to the left of the WOPR that moves slightly before the scene ends. It looks like the back of someone's shirt who is sitting on the floor next to the WOPR. Perhaps this is the crew member operating the Apple II that controls the lights on the WOPR? (00:23:13)
Other mistake: Why didn't Falken just call NORAD instead of going 1400 miles? NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. to Goose Island, Oregon is far (1,388.5 mi). Robinson R22 has a maximum speed of approximately 115 miles per hour. The R22 typically has a maximum range of around 200 to 240 nautical miles with standard fuel tanks. It would have to refuel 8 times, making that long 16+ hour trip before the wargame ended, is impossible (not to mention arriving 'just in time').
Answer: They were erroneously alerted that an actual nuclear attack was underway, and they had been trained to respond by firing a nuclear warhead. However, one was unconvinced that the US was actually under attack, and he wanted further confirmation from his superiors. The other insisted that they follow protocol and fire the missiles. One man alone cannot launch the missiles, it takes two, and the one with the gun is attempting to force his partner to follow through on launching the weapon.
raywest ★