Continuity mistake: Just before the final battle, a clip of the now well-trained Japanese army standing at "port arms" (holding their rifles in front of them, with their left hand on the upper stock and their right hand behind the trigger guard; the rifle is pointed up and to their left). This is a standard out of any military manual of arms. The scene flashes to several other snapshots of the other parties preparing for the big battle. When the camera shows another snapshot of the Japanese army, the film is in reverse. The soldiers are still at "port arms," but their rifles are pointed up and to their right.
Continuity mistake: When Algren is packing to leave, Colonel Bagley picks up the note that the young boy had written for Algren. In the close up, you can see the paper is light blue at the top and a light pink at the bottom. When Algren takes it from him and smooths it out, it is suddenly all light blue.
Continuity mistake: On his way to rescue Katsumoto, Algren is confronted by four or five armed men. If you look closely, you can see the armed man in the top left corner draws his sword twice.
Continuity mistake: Algren's horse has a white spot on his forehead. The spot changes size, shape and place during the film. At the very end of the film, when Algren goes back to the samurai-village, horse hasn't got that spot at all (it's still the same horse, big ears and all that.).
Continuity mistake: When Tom Cruise is entering the village on horse drawn carriage, he looks LEFT but the camera shows the perspective as though he is looking RIGHT. Then Tom turns his head towards the RIGHT and the camera view is pointing towards the left.
Continuity mistake: When Algren draws his sword as he assists Katsumoto in his escape, he holds the sheath in his left hand, but in the next shot when he opens the door leading out to the bridge, the sheath is gone.
Continuity mistake: When Algren is handing the 'sword' back to the little kid, his hands change position around the sword everytime the angle switches: first it's between his fingers, then fully grasped, then between his fingers again.
Revealing mistake: During the final battle, some samurai horsemen are lighting hay panels to create a smokescreen. At one point a horseman rides past two of them without touching them with the torch at all, and they still catch fire. Moreoever, they start to burn from the bottom, not where the flame could have touched them (which of course it didn't).
Continuity mistake: When he is lying back on the tree and talking to Katsumoto before dying, Nobutada calls him chichiue (father), but the subtitles say brother. [May have been corrected for the DVD.]
Audio problem: Every time a sword is drawn, be it fast or slow, there is the 'shiiink' sound that is made when a steel sword is drawn from a steel scabbard (a sound that a western sword would make), yet Japanese swords have a wooden scabbard so the draw should be silent.
Factual error: In the scene before the Americans are to be introduced to the emperor, they are told that the "Meiji" emperor is reform minded. However, Meiji is a posthumous era name, in other words, given after the emperor's death, which occurred many years later, whereas he is still very young in the period depicted.
Continuity mistake: In the final scene as Algren approaches the village, his horse is on his left. When he sees his girlfriend, the horse is on his right.
Other mistake: The Gatling guns used in the final battle scene are indiscriminate weapons. We see the warriors hit multiple times with spectacular entry and exit wounds, as well as rounds impacting with the ground leaving dust clouds. But the horses seem to be spared as if by an invisible shield.
Audio problem: In the scene where Algren is talking to Katsumoto about General Custer, there is a shot from behind Katsumoto's head and it is clear that he is talking and yet his mouth isn't moving.
Audio problem: When Algren fights the five "ronin," he does not shout out when he kicks at one of his opponents; yet in a flashback a few moments later, it is obvious that a war cry was added in.
Continuity mistake: The first time Algren is eating with the family, there is a shot with the older of the 2 boys in the corner. He takes a bite of his food with his chopsticks at his mouth, but immediately after, his chopsticks are down in the bowl again, there is no time in between shots for him to put the chopsticks down.
Continuity mistake: When Algren is sitting down with the photographer and talking to him, the old man with the pipe's arm changes position in between shots(the old man is standing next to Algren on the right).
Continuity mistake: When Algren and the samurai leave the village on horseback for the final battle, all the remaining villagers line the road and bow to them. You see Taka getting back up and when the shot changes, she's coming up again.
Continuity mistake: When Katsumoto's son gets shot and Algren rescues him from the bridge, watch the dribble of blood on his lip; it keeps changing lengths from down to his neck, to not there at all, to on his chin.
Continuity mistake: During the training scene near the beginning, Algren is showing a soldier how to aim and fire a rifle-musket. The soldier is looking down the barrel and is about to fire, but the musket's hammer is down (uncocked). The shot changes to the coloniel and we hear Algren talk to him. This lasts for a few seconds that are devoid of sound effects (ie. a hammer being pulled back). The shot then changes back with Algren in mid-sentence and we see the hammer is now cocked and a percussion cap has been fitted.
Suggested correction: They are using modern terms and words so that the film and characters are easier to understand.
Greg Dwyer
It doesn't change the fact that this is a factual error, no matter the reason behind it.
Epigenis
Yes it does. Almost nobody outside Japan would have known the name "Mutsuhito." Films often use modern terminology to make things easier for audiences to understand. Like saying "vegetarian" instead of the older term "Pythagorean."
LorgSkyegon