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Revealing mistake: Near the beginning, when the car is lowered into the underground complex, the car is sitting on a section of the street pavement above. When shown underground, it's sitting on a rug or carpet that appears as if it were supposed to represent a dirt surface. There are even visible tire tracks. (00:07:20)

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Plot hole: When Arnie is driving the cop car and shooting at Conner and Reese, 5 or 6 inch holes from the gunfire are shown in the door right beside Connor. If the shell penetrated the steel door (which it could easily do - and was shown to do), there's nothing inside the door or on the other side of it to stop the bullet. Connor, and probably Reese, would've been ripped to shreds.

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Continuity mistake: In the middle of a sentence, new text appears on the chalkboard behind the speaker, as well as new colouration on a globe behind him. (00:32:42)

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Factual error: Narration refers to Hitler's Germany research into nuclear fusion - it was nuclear fission they were looking into, the same as what fueled the WWII-ending bombs in Japan, and every nuclear bomb and missile since. No nation has been able to generate nuclear fusion until very recently, and it doesn't produce an explosion - which is what Hitler wanted. (00:08:35)

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Factual error: When they come upon the nuclear reactor cooling towers there's a wide shot that reveals there are no electrical lines anywhere near the reactor. A reactor's central purpose is to generate electricity - all "real" (non-CGI) reactors are surrounded by electric power lines and transformers. (01:20:23)

ReRyRo

Factual error: In the subplot on earth, the heroes' family members are trying to outrun the falling moon's gravity that's sucking everything into the air. So, naturally they duck into a barn, because, of course, gravity can't affect you behind a wall. And sure enough, behind the wall, they're suddenly safe.

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Factual error: A utility pole appears in a scene, with electrical, telephone, and CATV (cable TV) lines. Although rudimentary cable TV systems existed in the movie's time period (1951), the 1/2" or 1" shielded cable shown in this scene didn't appear in use until the 1960's. (00:45:08)

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Deliberate mistake: Gray's rental car just happens to be the one car out of the hundreds in the parking garage that the bad guy chasing Gray and Darby crashes into, setting off the bomb he had placed.

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Factual error: The car bomb meant to kill Gray and Darby is connected to the ignition switch. The ignition switch has done its job (switched on) when the starter motor starts turning, and we hear the starter motor turning when Gray turns the key. The bomb would have exploded at that point - it doesn't matter at all that the engine hadn't started yet when Darby stops Gray from continuing. (01:55:50)

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Factual error: Ann plays an organ in a church with no electricity. And no, there was no manual bellows to make it work; the movie makers simply didn't know the difference between the operation of an organ versus that of a piano.

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Factual error: In one of the intertitles in the final scene when Mendez is lying in his son's bed, it is stated, "The involvement of the C.I.A. complemented efforts of the Canadian embassy in freeing the six held in Tehran." The six freed from Iran by Mendez were not being held; they were in hiding. The hostages that were held were freed by Iran much later. (01:50:39)

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Continuity mistake: When Gallagher (Paul Newman) stops at the traffic light and gets out and runs back to cops that are tailing him, he passes a Triumph TR7 convertible that has stopped behind his car. A large man is driving that Triumph. When the camera angle changes as Gallagher runs back to his car, the Triumph is empty - you can see its full, unobstructed windshield. (00:47:00)

ReRyRo

Continuity mistake: When Megan meets with Teresa in the park, Megan says "It's 1981", but when Gallagher later buys a cashier's check at a bank, the date is 1980. (00:54:00 - 01:08:00)

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Howard Payne: I'm the guy with the plan 'cause I'm smarter. I'm smarter than you.
[Howard gets decapitated by a light in the subway tunnel.]
Jack: Yeah? Well I'm taller.

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Factual error: After the car explosion in front of the Vogue theater on Hollywood Blvd, Murtaugh tells Riggs that "he's headed for the freeway" and "you can cut him off at the 3rd St bridge" (approximate wordage), and Riggs takes off running. 3rd St is nowhere near Hollywood Blvd (17 blocks away) and there is no 3rd St bridge within miles.

ReRyRo

Continuity mistake: In the scene in Ed Nelson's office when Charlton Heston is asking him to investigate his son's would-be fiance's family, a report suddenly appears in Nelson's hands as the men are arguing face to face.

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