Continuity mistake: When Gunny Highway first introduces himself to his recon team, he walks into their barracks building. This building was at the end of a row of barracks. Minutes later, when Highway walks out the back end of this building, he actually comes out of a different building further up the street.
Continuity mistake: When Highway first assembles his men, it is meant to be very early morning (5:00 am.). Judging by the very short lengths of the shadows, it is quite obvious that it is around noon.
Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the film Clint Eastwood is sitting in jail on a bunk. When he gets up to fight, he hands his well chewed cigar to the young kid on his right. After he decks the bald man and sits back down the young man hands him a now fresh cigar.
Continuity mistake: When lifting off from the ship, the Marines board a twin engine (Marine Corps) Huey. When they drop in the water, they drop from a single engine (Army) helicopter.
Continuity mistake: During the invasion of Grenada, the faces of the Recon Team lose their camouflage paint while Gunny Highway retains his.
Continuity mistake: Halfway through the film when Gunny Highway takes the troops on a run, one of his Marines suggests he's lost. Stitch Jones says "C'mon, let's smoke this sucka." All the troops run past Highway, with Jones leading the way. When the shot turns to a rear view, Jones is the last one to pass Highway.
Continuity mistake: Highway and Choozoo are in the bar when Little Mary Jackson tells them that their battalion has gone on full alert. They both leave the bar and it is night time (also a cut away clip of Aggie being driven past in a convertible car shows darkness). The scene then cuts to the barracks and throughout the scene, you can see through the thin curtains that it is daylight outside. The scene then cuts back to the parade ground and it is night time again. (01:04:00 - 01:06:00)
Continuity mistake: During the opening, the camera is shooting from a helicopter. The shadow of the helicopter is seen running across the building in the scene.
Continuity mistake: When Highway goes to his ex-wife's house and pours her a beer in a glass, it has about an inch of head on it. When the camera angle changes there's no head on the beer.
Continuity mistake: In the last scene on Grenada, when the Col. lands his copter, it lands with the port (left) side of the copter facing the rock retaining wall. After the Col. tells Highway and Choozoo to "Get out of my LZ." As Highway and Choozoo walk away the starboard (right) side of the copter is facing the rock wall. You see the tail facing the camera.
Continuity mistake: When Highway walks into the bar for the first time, his old friend the barmaid pulls him a pint and the beer is level with the glass handle. When he drinks from it the beer is past the top of the handle.
Answer: It's because it's a movie. The plot could not ably handle the stories of twenty different characters while maintaining the action's pace and a cohesive story line within a two-hour time frame. It instead focuses on a few key characters.
raywest ★