Factual error: In one scene they are playing on an Xbox 360, but the Xbox 360 did not come out until 2005, and the game being played, Gears of War, wasn't released until 2006. The movie takes place in 2004.
Factual error: When SGT Sanborn is placing the items in the white box, you can see his special skill badges. He has an EOD badge placed above his Combat Infantryman's Badge which should never happen. While it is possible for an EOD member to have a CIB (second MOS), no badge is ever worn above the CIB, EIB, or CAB. (00:09:25)
Continuity mistake: James is described on the cast list as a Staff Sergeant, but he wears the rank insignia of a Sergeant First Class.
Factual error: In the car bomb defusing scene, Specialist Eldridge spots a possible insurgent filming him with a video camera and states "He's getting ready to put me on YouTube." However, the film is set in the summer of 2004 (according to the official website), while YouTube was founded in February of 2005. (00:36:15)
Visible crew/equipment: During the scene when Sgt. James is removing the IED from the body cavity of the young boy there is a person standing in the background behind the plastic sheeting.
Factual error: Sgt Sanborn is shown wearing a Combat Infrantryman's Badge, and he says that before EOD he was Military Intelligence, however, Infantry is the only MOS that gets the badge while everyone else gets the Combat Action Badge. Also the Combat Infantryman's Badge would be worn above any other badge, in the movie he wears it under the EOD badge.
Other mistake: When James is returning to duty in one of the last scenes of the movie, apparently he is arriving in one of two twin-rotor helicopters. As the troops disembark down the rear ramp, they walk across what looks like the shadow of the elevator of a C130 Hercules airplane.
Visible crew/equipment: When SSG William James and Sgt. JT Sanborn are sniping, Spc. Owen Eldridge is cleaning the bullets from the blood. When he passes them on, he leans his head back and you can see a tent and four or five crew members and the camera. (00:58:00)
Factual error: The EOD team seems to travel alone much of the movie. EOD travel in a convoy for protection.
Visible crew/equipment: When SFC William James goes through the plastic sheeting to see a dead body on the table, you can see an ungloved, crew member's hand open the entrance for him. (01:20:40)
Continuity mistake: During the encounter between Sgt. James and the taxi driver, James shoot to the taxi's windshield in an attempt to make the driver go, when he's backing up you can see James following him and pointing his gun to the now unbroken windshield, when scene changes, it's broken again.
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. James discovers the 5 or 6 IED's, he pulls the cord and brings them all to the surface. A few shots later when he is disarming them all, they are back under gravel. (00:23:50)
Factual error: Takes place in 2004, however, ACU uniform was not issued Army wide until 2005.
Factual error: In the scene where the taxicab overruns the roadblock, he would have likely been shot before even coming close. Rules of engagement for a roadblock dictate that any vehicle not responding to commands to stop or after firing warning shots would be lit up, especially at such fast speed, which is a sign of aggression.
Continuity mistake: During the sniper fight, when Sanborn gets the ammunition after it is cleaned, he loads a single bullet directly into the chamber. After it is fired, a magazine magically appears loaded into the rifle and he fires a second shot.
Continuity mistake: When James returns to the base and is ordered to open his jacket, he leaves one arm raised as he reaches inside to remove his sidearm, but in the next shot, he has both arms raised again. (01:35:55)
Factual error: In the scene where Sanborn goes to James trailer he is wearing two American flags on each shoulder when only one is supposed to be worn above the combat patch right shoulder. This can also be seen later when LTC Cambridge sits down with Eldride when he is playing the X-Box in which case Eldridge does not wear any flags could be he just got back from mission and has not replaced them on his uniform.
Continuity mistake: After the last guy in the window during the sniping scenes is killed, you can see William James' face covered with sand. In a shot seconds later the sand is gone, and later reappears.
Visible crew/equipment: When the "family man" suicide bomber is asked to kneel down you can see knee-pads under his pants when he is going down. (01:51:40)
Other mistake: In the scene where Sanborn is placing Thompson's ID tags into the box the outside states he is SGT-Thompson-Matthew when in fact he was a SSG.
Answer: The problem for the sniper was once he'd taken his shot, he was now pretty exposed. He didn't have a lot of cover and it wouldn't have taken the Americans long to figure out where the shot came from, hence why the enemy snipers made no attempt to move.
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