Continuity mistake: The wound that Achilles gives Boagrius changes position from when he receives it in the close-up, where it is lower on his shoulder, to the close-up and back shots just before he falls, where it is closer to his neck. (00:08:15)
Continuity mistake: When fighting Boagrius, Achilles tosses his shield with the attached spear, to the ground, the spear separates and lies beside the shield - which is face down, as Boagrius throws the second spear. However, when Achilles runs toward Boagrius their proximity differs, and when he stabs him the spear is gone and the shield is face up, but when Boagrius falls to his knees, the spear is back. (00:08:05)
Continuity mistake: When Priam sits on the throne, with Hector and Paris beside him, as Glaucus says, "If they want a war, we will give them a war..." the flames burn brightly in the two torches standing within the doorway behind the throne. However, when Priam asks, "Glaucus, you have fought with me for forty years, can we win this war?" there is NO flame in the torch on the right side of the doorway - visible behind Hector ONLY on widescreen DVD. Yet when Glaucus says, "...and we have Hector," the flame burns brightly once again. (This is not due to the flame flickering.) (00:56:50)
Continuity mistake: As the ship heads toward Troy's shores, Eudorus walks toward Achilles at the bow. There is a close-up of his feet as he passes many spears, helmets, swords, armor and shields lying on deck, and in the next shot many of the items on deck are either gone or positioned differently, and the shadows that are cast significantly change between shots, while Achilles and his Myrmidon are aboard their ship. (00:35:55)
Continuity mistake: Achilles runs up the stairs of Apollo's temple, kills some men, including one after he runs up the stone base of the gold statue. He then turns around, with the two blades in his hands, to be face to face with a Trojan whose helmet is all askew and Achilles pushes the tips of the blades into the center of the soldier's chest armor. At the start of the very next shot the man's helmet is perfectly straight, and Achilles' two blades are conspicuously not in the soldier's chest, both are clearly visible at the soldier's side, under his left arm (NOT in his chest), already bloody, with the dripping blood stain on the center of his armor where the blades should be. Then Achilles pulls the blades 'out of' the soldier accompanied by the dramatic sound effect. (00:43:20)
Continuity mistake: When Agamemnon says, "I always thought my brother's wife was a foolish woman," he is holding a whip in his hand that faces away from his right side. However, in the next shot the whip is closer to his chest, facing forward. Only visible on VHS and fullscreen DVD. (00:18:55)
Continuity mistake: When Andromache finds Helen and Paris while Troy burns, the position of the blanket (first uncovered then completely covered) over the baby and the ties of her cloak differ noticeably between shots. (02:23:10)
Continuity mistake: When King Priam, Hector and the elder people are arguing about what to do about the Greeks, in the front view Hector is standing in the center of the edge of the pool of water, but when Priam stands up the shot changes to a back view and he is standing near the corner instead. (01:36:10)
Continuity mistake: When Priam goes to Achilles to beg for Hector's body, he removes his hood as he steps into the tent. In all of the following shots the hood lies multiple ways upon his shoulder. (02:05:10)
Continuity mistake: As the Greeks start emerging from the 'Trojan' horse, two small staircases in the distance, to the right, is seen here and in the close-up of Achilles just as he reaches the ground. Later, after a close-up of the large white statue falling towards the camera, two shots later the 'Trojan' horse stands in the foreground and right behind the running Trojans and Greeks are those two small staircases. However in this shot the 'Trojan horse is much, much closer to that side of the temple square. (02:19:10 - 02:22:40)
Continuity mistake: Paris drops his sword, and it falls flat on the ground. Then after Menelaus dies, the position of Paris' sword on the ground changes from when he's running to get it, where the blade points more towards the Trojan army (ie. roughly horizontally in his path), to when he finally grabs hold of it, where the sword leans up a bit on its side and the blade points distinctly towards the Greeks (ie. directly away from him). (01:17:35)
Continuity mistake: In the opening shot when the camera pans in, as the ship sails back to Troy with Hector and Paris, the position of the sail and rigging differs significantly from the subsequent shot aboard the ship as Paris walks over to Hector. (00:14:30)
Continuity mistake: When Ajax walks to the bow of his ship, the men in front of him are standing spread apart. However, in the next shot when he pushes the two men apart, they are very close together. (00:41:30)
Continuity mistake: When Achilles pulls the second arrow out of his chest (the first one is in his heel), there is a thick double stream of blood that runs down his armor from the hole. When he is hit with the third arrow the stream is thinner and when hit with the fourth, the stream of blood is a single very thin line. (02:28:30)
Continuity mistake: Throughout the film, when Achilles wears the hair ribbon, or not, his hair position, its twist and/or ribbon position changes significantly in consecutive shots. (00:43:50)
Continuity mistake: When Paris pulls the first arrow from his quiver and releases it into Achilles' heel, the shaft's wood color is very light (whitish). However, in the close-up of the arrow in his heel, the arrow shaft is dark wood (brownish), then in all of the following shots (including when he dies) the wood is very light again. (02:28:15)
Continuity mistake: When Achilles spears Hector the blood on the spear handle differs in the consecutive shots as he stands, drops down to his knees, then falls over and when Achilles walks over with the rope. (02:01:20)
Continuity mistake: When Menelaus goes to see Agamemnon, as he walks toward his brother in the shot facing Agamemnon people stand aside and bow. In the next shot facing Menelaus some people appear or disappear from where they stood in the previous shot. The shadows differ as well. (00:18:05)
Continuity mistake: Aboard the ship going back to Troy, when Paris walks over to Hector he places his hands on the rail of the ship, and the collar on Paris' left side hangs off his shoulder, yet in the next close-up it's properly on by his neck. (00:14:45)
Continuity mistake: When Paris kisses Helen goodbye before she goes down the tunnel at the end, from behind him his head's tilted to his right, but as the angle changes and they break apart, it's now tilted to his left. (02:24:45)
Answer: They didn't know the Greeks weren't bringing cavalry. The Greeks did use them and sometimes brought them by sea. It was there to stop a cavalry charge and to break up fighting formations.
LorgSkyegon