Bird on a Wire

Bird on a Wire (1990)

48 mistakes - chronological order

(2 votes)

Continuity mistake: In one scene, Mel Gibson hot wires a motorcycle for a quick getaway, a couple of scenes later, he's seen starting the same motorcycle by turning a key.

Factual error: When Mel's character first calls the Witness Relocation Program after Goldie's character sees him at the gas station he talks to his new case worker and tells him that he does not remember him. The case worker then says "You know all us FBI Guys sound the same". The FBI does not run the Witness Relocation Program. It is run by the U.S. Marshals, a completely different organization.

Robert Sullinger

Revealing mistake: A shot of Mel and Goldie on the motorcycle in Michigan is re-used for a shot when they are supposedly in Wisconsin. They are driving along a curving, downsloping road.

Ral0618

Factual error: The 'zoo' where the final climax of the movie takes place is built in perfect movie logic; it is full of deadly hazards (unmarked, small innocuous looking pond filled with piranhas, suspension bridge that collapses when a 100 pound woman steps on it, etc) arranged in ways that either normal visitors would not be able to even notice (making them pointless in context) or that would cause horrible accidents.

Sammo

Factual error: Throughout the whole movie, plenty of cars from the police cars to Marianne's rentals, sport regular Michigan license plates, front and rear. Michigan does not issue front license plates.

Sammo

Continuity mistake: Goldie and Mel are on his boat at the end - Mel unfurls the sail to reveal the words "Mister Wiggly." Note that the words are printed at an angle: rising from left to right. Instantly the scene cuts and the words on the sail are printed at the opposite angle: lowering from left to right.

Kit Sullivan

Continuity mistake: When Goldie's boyfriend is watching surveillance video of the "bank robbery" Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn are in the wrong positions and Mel Gibson's reaction to taking the security guards gun is all wrong.

Audio problem: In the scene were Mel and Goldie are in the salon, and she says "I called him sick", you can see that her lip movements are totally wrong. It appears this line was changed as her actual words appear to be "I called him a prick," which is why the flamboyantly gay hairdresser replies with "Oh he is a prick" with such an implying tone.

Rick Jarmin: I haven't had a girlfriend for 5 years.
Marianne Graves: Really?
Rick: Yeah - Mr. Wiggly's been on bread and water for 5 years.

More quotes from Bird on a Wire

Trivia: When the agent pulls from the computer record Richard's file, an alias listed is "David Putnam - Columbia Pictures", employed from 06/04/1973 to 02/01/1975. That's an obvious reference to producer David Puttnam (two Ts), who had a brief stint as head of Columbia Pictures in 1986-87, not making many friends in the then Coca-Cola owned production company. (00:12:50)

Sammo

More trivia for Bird on a Wire

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