Factual error: When Swagger is fleeing from the police in the car wash after being shot, the radio says that he is at a car wash at 9th and Girard. There is no such intersection. On Girard Ave, 9th street picks up south and north of that street.
Factual error: When Swagger is about ready to shoot the can of stew he is using a CheyTac .408 with a muzzle break about 8 feet from his dog. At that range it would destroy the dog's hearing.
Factual error: When FBI agent Memphis is reviewing the assassination on video, you can hear the shot first and then see the blood spray of the bullet impact on the Archbishop. This defies physics as bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. Given the distance the sniper shot from, the sound of the shot would be be heard a second or 2 after the impact.
Suggested correction: At that range the bullet has a long travel time and the buildings around the target would amplify the sound of the gunshot. Notice the sound exactly as the bullet hits, that's the travel time allowing for catch up as the bullet had to fall in order to travel that distance.
Factual error: Bob and Nick engage in a shootout in Lynchburg Virgina at night (according to FBI Howard), - although based on the day lighting it'd have been late afternoon - then call him from Bozeman, Montana, next day, around 1 p.m. based on the shadows, standing in front of the very same Dodge pickup. Even allowing for the passage of 18 hours, they would have had to average over 119 mph, not allowing for fuel stops, to get there.
Suggested correction: Howard's team didn't find the shoot out mess until a day before Memphis reach Montana. There's always 3 sides to every story your side my side and the truth. In other word detective work is not 100% accurate more like 60% to 70%. How Howard accuses Memphis of the right action but wrong details (time of day) is actually realistic. Cops do this on purpose because correcting the Cop is a confession to the crime. Nick only says he doesn't know who can be trusted. Howard gets mad.
Factual error: Right after the 'trap' for Swagger, two soldiers enter the house with Swagger waiting for them on the inside. Swagger shoots the first one twice, but after wrestling with the 2nd one for a bit, Swagger shoots through the safety helmet to kill the 2nd soldier. This would be impossible since these helmets are made to withstand much tougher weapons that a 9mm Beretta. What's even worse is that the blood comes out on the other side, meaning that the bullet pierced the helmet twice. (01:31:40)
Factual error: Camp Lemonier is placed in Djibouti, not in Ethiopia.
Factual error: It is stated that Colonel Johnson cannot be charged because the crime was committed outside the United States. The movie is treating him like he is a regular American citizen when he is in a fact a military member. All active military members, like the colonel, are subject to uniformed military code of justice no matter where the crime was committed. Anyone who attempted to prevent the colonel from being charged would be arrested.
Suggested correction: Crimes are evaluated on a crime per crime basis - Military courts have exclusive authority over all crimes considered purely military crimes which include sedition, failure to obey an order, or insubordinate conduct, among others. However, most crimes violate both civilian and military law and in those cases it may be tried by a military court, a civilian court or both. In this case, this would have fallen under International Law and could be tried by civilian courts although I believe it would be tried by the Hague as crimes against humanity.
Factual error: When the Ethiopian Archbishop is killed you hear the gun go off and the Archbishop dies almost immediately, but as Swagger also points out, the hang time would actually be around 5 to 6 seconds (and it would take the sound up to 11 seconds to travel that far). Which means that, when we see it from the gun's point of view, there should be quite a long wait for him to get hit. (00:27:55)
Factual error: In the mountain scene, Wahlberg shoots a sniper through the scope. This is a common myth in Hollywood. Tested by Mythbusters. It is impossible to shoot up a sniper scope due to the amount of glass and the thickness and angles of said glass. The bullet is deflected, even at point-blank range.
Factual error: In the movie the senator cannot be charged for the conspiracy because the crime took place outside the United States. In reality, the senator would be charged with conspiracy regardless of where the actual crime took place. Simply being overseas does not give an American citizen immunity.
Factual error: During the mountain ambush scene, Agent Memphis gets shot while wearing a steel plate. In reality, he probably would've been seriously injured if not killed by the fragments (called "spall" or "spalling") of the bullet when it hit the plate.
Factual error: In the assassination scene, it is shown that the Russian sniper used the Barrett M82A1 in the .60 BMG. There is no .60 BMG. Barrett M82A1 is .50 BMG.
Factual error: When showing the screen from the remote rifle, it shows 60 BMG. There's no such rifle.
Factual error: When Swagger is shot, he uses Quick clot on himself. You do not open Quick clot with your mouth - if even a small amount of it gets in your mouth it will cause a very large amount of pain, and a massive case of cotton mouth. Also, you do not use it on anything other than the arms, or legs. Putting it on your stomach, or upper chest could cause even worse problems if it were to get anywhere near your lungs, or your stomach.
Suggested correction: Desperate times call for desperate measures.
