Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Paula Patton
Revealing mistake: When the truck leaps off the ferry, the underside is seen, exposing the still-flaming 'roll cannon' opening in the rear floorboard. This cannon is what caused the rear of the truck to rise, sending the truck flipping through the air. (01:52:30)
Continuity mistake: When Denzel Washington is taking off his clothes to be sent back in time. We see him take off his blue shirt. The shot then changes to look at the other guy and we see him take off his shirt again.
Factual error: When the Bronco is underwater at the end of the movie, Claire's hands are tied to the steering wheel. Doug rips the steering wheel off. Anyone who has worked on cars knows you need a puller to get a steering wheel off, you can't just rip it by hand.
Trivia: At the time of the filming, the St. Charles Streetcars were not running 100%. When they show the Canal St Car, one sense that shows the car running on the right side tracks toward the camera, it's actually on the wrong side. Later when he's going to her apartment, one shot shows the streetcar running on the right side tracks (as the norm), and the trolley poles are up. Later when he gets off the car, it's on the opposite side, wrong direction, rear pole is down, and he gets out through the rear door as if it was main door.
Doug Carlin: I'll speak slow, so those of you with Ph.D.'s in the room can understand.
Doug Carlin: For all of my career, I've been trying to catch people after they do something horrible. For once in my life, I'd like to catch somebody before they do something horrible, all right? Can you understand that?
Denny: I knew I picked a bad week to quit snorting hash.
Question: The dress Claire is wearing when Doug goes back to rescue her is not the same dress she is wearing at the autopsy. I don't understand this. Also when the terrorist calls Claire about her car, the truck he was using for the bomb had not yet been shot by Minudi. So he called her before he knew he would need her Bronco?
Answer: When Doug went back previously, he managed to save Claire and took her home. However he left her there instead of taking her with him to the ferry. The bomber would have suspected Claire had survived the explosion at the cabin and would have gone back to Claire's house in case she showed up there. Doug would have left her there thinking she would be safe. But after he left the bomber would show up, discover she had survived and killed her the exact way he was originally planning to. Only this time she would be killed in her dress. When Doug went back for the last time, he remembered seeing Claire at the morgue in her dress and knew then that she would only survive if he took her with him to the ferry, which he does. That one act is what saves everyone in the end because Claire ends up distracting the bomber long enough for Doug to kill him. That decision to take her with him finally closes the loop. Mission accomplished.
Nice answer. But then why is Claire's body ever discovered with a red dress and her fingers cut off? There is a weak argument that the first time Doug goes back he happens to make the trip a few seconds too late. Even then, with cut off fingers, you'd drop her off at the hospital, not at home, thus she wouldn't be killed and dumped in the river.
Question: In the initial (or present) timeline, Claire dies; the ferry blows up; Doug is recruited by the FBI and subsequently find himself at the terrorists' camp where an ambulance is sitting in the destroyed building. The presence of the ambulance suggests a future Doug had to come back in time, but then Claire would have been saved. What's up with that?
Answer: Another version of Doug tried to save her but he failed. He realised this and it was shown by his last second decision on the ferry.
Answer: Flawed theory. Doug would have to be recruited previously for that to happen. The time frame for look back most likely would not line up.
Doug from previous timeline failed to rescue Claire. We know what happened to Claire. But the question is where is that "previous" Doug? My guess: a human that was being eaten by croc that current Doug sees was the previous Doug.
That doesn't work. The hand in the alligator pit was white.
Previous Doug died while trying to disarm the bomb. He failed to disarm it in time and was killed when the bomb exploded. Remember at the beginning of the film when Doug arrives at the site, and he's looking at the bodies of the victims in the body bags? He hears a phone ringing and assumes it's his because it has the same ring tone as his. It's not his phone that's ringing but past Doug's phone. The one that went back, failed and died. Previous Doug is now in one of the body bags on the shore.
The other version of Doug died on the ferry in the beginning of the movie. He hears his own cell phone ringtone coming from one of the body bags and looks at his own phone because he thinks it's his.
Doug's phone didn't go back in time. There may be multiple copies of Doug, but there's only one phone.
Question: In the bonus feature extended scenes look carefully at the beginning of the movie and you'll see someone watching the explosion while wearing the goggle-rig. Can anyone explain why?
Answer: Not a definitive answer, just an "allowable" excuse for this... The time surveillance team is testing their equipment and rigs and it's merely a coincidence that they happened to be in this area at this time.
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Answer: The second part of your question: the bad guy needed a truck. He called Claire but they can't deal. SO he bought another truck. That truck shot by the policeman. Because he don't have enough time he must call Claire again to buy her truck.