Continuity mistake: When Hanks dies at the end, you can see his left hand laying on its side, but in a wide angle shot of the same scene, you see his hand laying on its back.
Continuity mistake: When the mother and son are shot, it shows from the outside, and the gunfire flashes in the one (suspected) bathroom where they were killed. Just before, the light was on, and then when Jr. went to find them, the light was back on.
Continuity mistake: Tom Hanks has a Colt 1911 tucked into the small of his back throughout the whole movie except for the very end when he shoots Jude Law from behind with a .38. His son doesn't have the 1911, so what happened to it, and why did Tom decide to trade it for a revolver?
Continuity mistake: When they're leaving Chicago for the first time, the snow on Mike's car has melted leaving stains, but the snow on the windshield has melted leaving the windshield crystal clear. He didn't have time to clean the windshield.
Factual error: Tom Hanks with his son pulls into the small town, parks diagonally at the curb, tells his son to stay in the car and honk if he sees trouble. He walks to a building, the curb of which at the corner is shallowed to street level for handicap access. Handicap curbs are a modern development, certainly not around in the 1930s.
Continuity mistake: When Jude Law is first talking to Tom Hanks in the diner, he orders a cup of coffee. They talk for about 30 seconds with the camera going back and forth between Hanks and Law. In one shot, there's nothing on Jude's table, then in the next shot of him he has a cup of coffee in front of him.
Suggested correction: If you listen carefully when the camera is on Tom Hanks, you can hear the sound of the cup and saucer being put on the table.
I was actually going to enter this. I agree with the original mistake. You do hear the clink of the cup being put down, but everything happens just a little too fast. We don't hear the waitress approaching, the camera is off Jude Law for no more than 2 seconds. When it comes back to him, the coffee is placed, and he is pouring sugar in and stirring.
Factual error: The tractor that the Mikes are avoiding on that narrow road is a Case LA, manufactured 1940 to 1950.
Continuity mistake: During Sullivan and Maguire's gun fight at the hotel, between the fifth and sixth shot Maguire takes at Sullivan, a bullet imprint instantly appears on the trunk Sullivan is taking cover behind, in the top right corner.
Continuity mistake: When Michael Jr. is doing his math homework, he holds his pen between his forefinger and middle-finger. In the next camera view, the pen is between his middle-finger and ring-finger. The books are also in different positions. When camera switches back to the first view, everything is as at the beginning again. (00:04:35)
