Visible crew/equipment: In the scene where John uses a Caterpillar to enter the scuba and guns shop, the driver is a stuntman, in both slow or normal motion. (00:51:45)
Factual error: Matrix reads coordinates N33° 13' W117° (or possibly W119°) 18'. Neither LAT or LONG has seconds; just degrees and minutes, but he says, "These coordinates are somewhere near Santa Barbara". Even if you fill in 59" for the latitude north, it's still quite a ways south of Santa Barbara. If you fill in 119° it takes you farther west out to sea: that much further from Santa Barbara. The closest island to those coordinates is San Nicolas Island, and since they did go to an island later, that must have been it. Still a far cry from Santa Barbara. The handwritten coordinates would be much easier to read on Blu Ray. (00:52:10)
Factual error: Rae Dawn Chong sees a receipt for some aircraft fuel and comments that its "type 4" the kind used for amphibian aircraft. Well I've not heard of "type 4" and surely fuel used is differentiated by the type of engine not by the type of aircraft, JP4 is kerosene for jet engines and avgas for piston engines. (The plane they take has piston engines). (00:52:45)
Factual error: When Cindy and Matrix are in the warehouse, Cindy instantly knows that 250 gallons would get the plane to the island and back. It would be unlikely that she knows the rate of fuel flow, and, indeed, the weather conditions and type of engine, to allow her to figure this out. (00:52:45)
Continuity mistake: The police van flips onto its right side. The camera cuts and it is now on its left side. (00:54:45)
Continuity mistake: When Cindy fires the rocket launcher she is knocked down by the blast. The camera cuts to the rocket flying to the van and she is instantly stood up again. Slow-mo may be helpful but is not essental. (00:54:50)
Revealing mistake: During the stunt where the police van flips over (as a result of the rocket launcher attack) you can see the telegraph pole section used to flip the van over. It rolls down the road. (Stunts involving flips rely on a mini pile driver under the vehicle, as opposed to using an explosive charge by itself which can be too unpredictable). (00:54:55)
Continuity mistake: When Matrix is in the gun shop, you see him take the missile launcher off the wall, but then in another scene, it is back on the wall again. Also, watch how easily Cindy runs with the missile launcher to the shopping cart. I guess those things don't have any weight to them. (00:55:17)
Character mistake: The police are marching Matrix out of the gun shop, they didn't even put hand-cuffs on him! I think I would put hand-cuffs on a guy who just smashed open a gun shop and was stealing all the guns he could get into his hands. (00:55:50)
Continuity mistake: Rae fires a rocket at the police van, first she fires it back to front then the second time she fires it correctly only this time she is knocked back by the recoil, why wasn't she affected the first time and pushed forward? Also there should be no recoil with a rocket launch. (00:57:10)
Suggested correction: She was pushed forward against the front windshield which kept her upright whereas when firing it the right way she was thrown backward into the back seat. And rocket launchers will have some measure of recoil from the propulsion of the rocket firing out of the front of the launcher, how much depends on the time and force of the rockets being firing as every weapon has some form of recoil from firing.
Rocket launchers don't have the recoil you think. The propulsion of the rocket firing out of the front is countered by the gases expelling out the back behind the shooter. But if she was pushed forward (which she's not), her waist was above the top of the windshield, so the top of her body would should still lean over, even if it didn't cause her to topple over like she does with the seat.
Continuity mistake: When Matrix and Cindy are getting onto the amphibious plane, you see them with several bags...but not the rocket launcher. Yet it is on the plane when they arrive at the island. (00:59:31)
Factual error: When Cindy first gets into the seaplane, she asks 'where are the LCD readouts? - I learned in a Cessna' as well as saying 'this plane is older than I am.' Any Cessna she learned to fly in would almost certainly be older than her, but even worse, Cessnas used for initial flight training (150s, 152s or 172s) certainly do not have LCD displays. (01:00:20)
Continuity mistake: When Matrix and Cindy are getting into the plane, the guys on the docks are shooting at the plane. You see several bullets make holes on the right side of the door. Later when you see the plane, the holes are gone. (01:00:45 - 01:06:10)
Continuity mistake: When Matrix and Cindy are about to take of in the pontoon plane it is dark. Then as the plane takes off it is dusk with a little sun left, yet at the same time the view from the cockpit shows it is unbelievably dark. (01:00:54)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, Arnie puts on his flak jacket then his make-up, but when he takes off his jacket, he's got camouflage on. (01:04:15 - 01:14:40)
Continuity mistake: On Matrix and Cindy's way flying to an island to rescue his daughter, they flew west. Yet, prior to arriving at the island, the sun was seen rising. Did they travel around the world? (01:04:40)
Suggested correction: The explanation is that they simply went to far side of the island and approached it out of the west to approach a secluded spot of the island to minimize detection by an soldiers on the island allowing Matrix to infiltrate the island undetected.
Factual error: As noted elsewhere, it is simply not credible that Cindy, a trainee pilot, could land an seaplane so neatly, but it should also be pointed out that she banks into a low level formation on three helicopters - a very tricky manoeuvre, and then immediately after take off banks tightly into a high speed flyover of the squad on the beach. Both of these stunts would demand a very high level of skill from a pilot, especially one flying a lumbering old seaplane. (01:05:10 - 01:24:45)
Suggested correction: I respectfully disagree. 1. We don't know how many hours she has toward her license - average is well more than the minimum. She may have upwards of 70+, granted, probably in a 172. But watching this scene, the plane was a full 5 seconds behind the choppers. That's not formation. She banked left, straightened out, and landed. I believe a higher-time trainee very well could have done this. Now, if she had NEVER touched a multi-engine plane before, let alone a seaplane, the whole thing is off.
Continuity mistake: When Matrix is rowing the raft towards the shores, if you look behind him, he is clearly rowing the raft towards open sea, with no island in sight. (01:06:13)
Continuity mistake: When Matrix arrives to the beach in a rubber boat he has black swim pants on. When he jumps out, they are grey (far shot). When the camera switches back to close up, the pants are black again. (01:07:00)
Continuity mistake: Matrix's camouflage make-up changes style between shots (watch the thick line to the right side of the nose), furthermore, sometimes it's brilliant and shiny, others mat and dry, with no continuity at all. (01:07:25)
