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Audio/visual unsynchronised (5) |
Character error (4) |
Continuity (38) |
Crew or equipment visible (9) |
Factual errors (6) |
Miscellaneous (1) |
Incorrectly regarded as goofs (7) |
Plot holes (1) |
Revealing mistakes (13) |
Spoilers (1)
Audio/visual unsynchronised
During the scene in which Albert tells Vincent about meeting his brother, Albert says, "Vincent, Vincent, I swear man, tonight's the best I can do for you." His mouth clearly does not match what he says.
When Chris and McCauley are having coffee in McCauley's living room, we see smoke rise and appear on the screen before we hear the sound of Chris' cigarette being lit.
When Chris first fires his weapon at the white pickup at the drive-in, the sound is that of one shot being fired, yet the instant the impact is shown on the pickup's windshield, there are two bullet holes.
In the opening sequence when Neil walks to the ambulance, he crosses a street and then must step onto a small grass median between the curb and the sidewalk. In doing so the Foley footsteps don't change from footsteps on a hard surface to those on dirt or grass.
When Neil steals the ambulance at the beginning, the soundtrack has the ambulance door slamming, although the door clearly bounces open again before Neil pulls it shut.
Character error
During the bank robbery, Neal didn't give Donald a way for him to communicate with them while they were in the bank, such as a two way radio, Neal told Donald he needed a driver to drive the getaway car and monitor police scanners. If Donald had a two way radio he could warn them that Vincent and his team were on their way to apprehend them.
McCauley is proficient enough in the combat use of firearms to do brass checks (e.g. when he prepares to shoot Waingro). Yet when Hanna stops him and asks him if he'd join him for a cup of coffee, he hides a cocked SIG P 22x-series pistol between himself and his car seat. Only someone completely unfamiliar with this sidearm would do this, as it is very unsafe (the gun's only external safety is a decocking lever and cocked, it has a very light and short trigger pull).
During the bank robbery, Neil tells the bank employees and customers, if they feel sick or have heart trouble they can lean against the wall, this wouldn't help anyone having those symptoms and conditions.
When Neal is about the execute Waingro in the parking lot of the diner, he does not use a suppressor on his gun. This way the diner customers would have heard the shot and been able to ID every member of Neal's crew.
Continuity
When the police are staking out Waingro's hotel room, they use a camera on their hotel room door's peephole. After the fire alarm goes off, the door is opened and the display of the camera on the television in the room doesn't move in accordance to the movement of the door.
The shootout begins near the plaza at the intersection of Flower and 5th streets. After Bosko is shot Hanna gives chase and the getaway car is seen speeding, passing the spot where the shootout begun. Once McCauley starts shooting through a windshield window, the same spot is seen being passed again. The car is then seen passing the intersection, but once the tires get blown the car is at the intersection again with the plaza just few steps away.
Once during the armored car holdup, the spike strip is visible in the background before it has been deployed.
When Chris confronts his wife Charlene at the house in the beginning, her hair changes radically between shots.
At the drive-in, when Michael is firing his shotgun at the white Dodge truck, we see bullet holes in the passenger door. When the truck stops after hitting the fence barrier, these holes are missing.
When Hanna goes to his hotel after leaving Justine, he walks to the balcony to look out at the city lights. The camera angle changes to a view from behind his head so you can see the view, but the hair color and hair style of the man seen from behind is noticeably different - obviously a double.
The black prostitute that Waingro killed at the hotel had straightened hair and large dangling earrings. When Lt. Hanna pulled back the tarp to take a look at the body, her hair was braided and her earrings were small post earrings. Clearly, it wasn't the same girl.
Amount of ice in Eady's drink changes, when she first meets Neil.
In the coffee shop, the man sitting behind Vincent Hanna variously has a wine glass, a coffee mug and a beer bottle in different shots.
When Vincent first gets out of the car at the bank robbery and shouts "Police! Move!" we see a couple coming towards him jump out of his way. In the next scene with Vincent, we see the same couple walking past him again.
The glass that was broken after Neil rammed Hugh Benny through it is back in place after Hanna's call to Schwartz.
During the armored car heist the guys lay down a spike strip to blow out the tires of the police cars. The first police car hits the strip and drags it underneath. In a later scene the spike strip is visibly undisturbed.
When McCauley shoots Van Zant, he fires the pistol empty, as the slide is clearly seen in the locked back position. In the very next shot of the same scene, the slide is forward and the gun appears ready to be fired.
When Vincent returns home before seeing his wife putting on makeup, Vincent looks at the dirty dishes in the sink, where we see a dirty plate in the left sink, and a wok with dirty dishes in it in the right sink. After Vincent comes back downstairs ("Okay, where are YOU goin'?), there are no dishes in the left sink and the dishes that were inside the wok in the right sink are gone.
In the bank robbery/shootout scene, a Lincoln Town Car is used as a getaway car. While the exterior of the car has been dressed up for the movie to appear as a brand new 1995 model with newer headlights, header panel, grille, taillights and wheels, the interior is still that of a 1990-1994 Town Car.
During the escape from the bank, the getaway car goes through two intersections, but the police on foot still are close behind the car shooting away as if it only went through one.
At 00:50:49, we can see Chris get out of his hideout (on the roof). At 00:50:54, Chris does it again.
During the attempted getaway in the midst of the shootout, Macauley, in the passenger seat, fires a gun repeatedly through the windshield of the car. We see rear view mirror fall twice.
At one point during the shootout, Vincent fires from behind the front portion of a red car. After the cut, he continues shooting and runs past that car which is now a black limousine.
Alan Marciano's tie disappears and reappears when Vincent visits him in his office.
The TV remote control placed on the table changes position during Vincent's conversation with Justine as he is watching the TV after returning from work.
Two police cars of different make approach the spike strip (and a third behind them). As the angle shifts just as they run over it, they switch positions.
The blood that splatters on the window when Breedan is shot down in the car is already on the window in the shot of the outside of the car before he is shot.
Near the end, when Neil and Eady are driving the interstates of L.A., at one point they are approaching an interstate ramp curve to the left. In the next shot, they are clearly in a curve to the right.
After the delivery man in the white truck is shot at the drive in, he is clearly seen inside the vehicle slumping down and dying from his injuries. In the next scene right before the truck glances off the concrete wall, the driver is sitting up again.
Vincent's hair and Neil's shirt collar during the cafe confrontation scene.
When McCauley confronts Charlene in the hotel room, a coat hanger is visible in the mirror behind Charlene. When looking directly at the rack (which is located behind McCauley), the coat hanger is not visible.
The "Leader" logo disappears from the ambulance when it is set on fire.
The level of whiskey in Vincent's glass while he is talking to Justine.
The armored truck guard that Waingro shoots at the beginning of the movie changes positions before Waingro kills him.
The U-Haul truck at the bank jumps around between cuts.
Jessica's green stockings appear and disappear.
Amount and pattern of blood on Neil's shirt.
The shootout after the bank robbery: the weather changes between sunny and overcast between shots.
While investigating the armored car scene, Detective Casals is wearing an eyelet collar shirt (indicated by the collar pin under his tie). Later in the same night when Vincent calls asking if Albert Torena called, Casals is wearing a dress shirt without eyelet holes.
At the beginning when Neil and Chris are waiting in the ambulance, Chris puts on his white hockey mask before Neil but when the camera shoots from outside the ambulance when it moves off. Only Neil's white mask can be seen.
When McCauley enters the bank front entrance, you can clearly see it is at street level. A few seconds later, the camera is at floor level while watching him walk across the lobby. A window is seen on the left that clearly looks like the bank lobby is several floors above street level. There is no way for him to have gotten up several floors inside a couple of seconds.
When Neil switches seats at the café upon meeting Eady, the man that was to Neil's left has disappeared.
Crew or equipment visible
A few crew members are reflected in the glass when Neil walks in front of Van Zant's house.
A few crew members and their equipment are visible in the rear view mirror of Van Zant's delivery man's jeep at the drive-in.
Camera and crew reflected in the balcony window when Hanna is in his hotel room.
The shadow of the equipment and a crew member falls on the wall under the glass of the restaurant when the team is having dinner and waiting for Neil.
The Steadicam operator's legs are reflected in the car doors following Chris's movement when he runs by a green car during the shootout.
Two stage lights with blue filters are reflected in the glass behind Neil and Eady while they're standing and talking on the balcony.
Shadow of the sun-blocker falls on the road when Lauren is sitting on the bench turned with her back to us seeing Vincent and Bosco approaching in the car.
A camera operator wearing a white hat is reflected in the getaway car's door at the bank.
A cameraman's reflection can be seen on Vincent's jacket when he discovers he's been set up by Neil.
Factual errors
In the final scene, the approach light system at LAX airport is shown turning on and off for individual aircraft as they approach to land. In actuality, approach lights to runways remain lit at the same level of intensity for aircraft. They are not turned 'up' and 'down' for each airplane.
When the news reporter is sharing the story about the robbery, it is stated that "A bank robbery that spilled into the streets took place in a small southland neighborhood." The shooting actually takes place in downtown Los Angeles. Mike tells the police to set up roadblocks at intersections of Flower as well as Figueroa. These are streets in downtown Los Angeles.
Eady listens to an announcer citing Kandinsky's Theory of Color. Goethe wrote The Theory of Color. Kandinsky wrote "Über das Geistige in der Kunst" or Concerning the Spiritual in Art.
A Parsons graduate working in a bookstore makes no logical sense. When they first meet, Eady tells Neil that she's a graphic designer, and that she went to Parsons for it. She also says working at the bookstore is "a day job, until I get enough going." Anyone with a degree in graphic design from the prestigious Parsons School in New York City, especially in the mid-1990s, could get a well-paying job in graphic arts anywhere they wanted, even before they graduated.
When Lt. Hanna's step-daughter attempted suicide, she cut 2 arteries. the most important of which was her Femoral artery in her leg cut at an angle which would prevented the artery from closing off. Plus she was in water so the blood would not have had a chance to coagulate. She definitely would have bled out in 3 to 5 minutes tops.
When Det. Casals shoots out the hinges of the door to Benny's place, the hinges explode outward, from the other side of the door, which is inconsistent with a breaching shot at close range.
Miscellaneous
During the bank robbery, Donald should've been monitoring the police scanners. If he monitored the police scanners he would've heard Bosko calling nearby units warning them the bank robbery was taking place, hence Donald could've warned Neal ahead of time that Vincent and his team were on their way to apprehend them.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs
After the bank robbery, Michael tries to escape, and in so doing, trips and falls into a pond. When he gets up to take the little girl hostage, he looks dry. The suit is indeed wet though, which is evident when looking closely. It just doesn't seems that way. Some fabrics look similar wet and dry.
no one from Neil's crew kept track of time during the bank robbery because there was no need to because from the information they purchased from Kelso they turned off the silent alarms for 20 minutes the night before and twenty minutes is more enough time to rob the bank and make away with the money.
After the bank robbery, whatever the amount of weight they carry from the money and their guns, each robber is more than physically capable of running from and shooting at the police.
How was Donald Breedan planning to hide his share of the money stolen from his parole officer? His parole officer knows how much his salary is from the diner and Donald has to report to him on a regular basis.
When Donald pushes the restaurant manager out of the way, this assault would have violated his parole and his probation time would have been extended, even sending him back to prison.
Neil and his crew never gave Kelso ten percent of the money stolen from the bank robbery which was part of their original deal because they never intended to because already had their "out" prepared.
If Donald knew and felt the restaurant manager was performing illegal and unfair labor practices he should have informed his parole officer.
Plot holes
Chris Sherhalis would have known or suspected that his "out" (escape plan) was compromised especially after the shootout following the bank robbery. That he didn't try to call his wife in advance before coming over to pick her up or that he would have driven into what could have been a trap is improbable.
Revealing mistakes
During the bank robbery getaway, McCauley fires through the windshield at the police in front of them. He is using a fully automatic weapon yet only a couple of bullet holes appear while he is firing. While it is possible several rounds went through the same hole, the scene is still completely inconsistent with an actual event.
When Vincent in Air 18 contacts JJ in Air 40 wanting to know the whereabouts of Neil, JJ says Neil is "on the 105 heading east towards the 110 interchange." After Vincent gets into the car on the Vermont on-ramp, they pass-through signs above the freeway clearly indicate they are traveling west on Highway 105, not east.
When Neil shoots Van Zant, you can clearly see the wire running up his pant leg to trigger the squibs used to simulate gunshot wounds.
At the drive-in, when Neil backs up his car and crushes the gunman's legs, you can see the big metallic block on the ground used to protect the stunt man's leg.
At the beginning of the sequence where Hanna drives up to a light, stops his car, and throws out his TV set, two extras on the left sidewalk can be seen waiting for the 'action' cue before they start walking.
Neil's crew is stealing over twelve million dollars from the bank divided up into three very large duffle bags slung over their shoulders. With that much money, each bag would weigh over eighty pounds each, yet when they are escaping from the bank, they are running with the bags of money as if they weighed next to nothing.
Obvious stunt double tackling Hugh Benny about midway through the film.
When Hugh Benny is tackled through a glass door during a bust, it breaks before the actors crash into it.
When Vincent is tailing Neil on the highway, he is holding down the microphone key of his walkie-talkie even when he is listening to other members of the surveillance team.
While Hanna is interviewing witnesses to the armored car heist, there is an abandoned TV playing outside. The TV is showing a blue "input" signal, despite being an older model that would be incapable of doing so; it should only be capable of playing static.
When Hanna enters his hotel room after deciding to call off his pursuit of the case, he closes the door and we can see that the anti-intruder latch has been fitted the wrong way round.
When Vincent visits Albert at the wrecking yard, Vincent enters through the doorway and takes a right, then turns left, then left again, and then right through the door to where Albert was sitting. Vincent could have just walked straight through to where Albert was, but it looks as though Vincent took the long way around - the path along which the camera traveled - to appear more dramatic.
When Michael trips and falls in the pond, it is clearly a stuntman.
Spoilers
Revealing mistakes
In the final scene, Hanna becomes aware of McCauley's position by a shadow near his feet. In the following aerial shot, it is obvious that McCauley's position could not cast a shadow to where Hanna is standing. McCauley's shadow would have been cast mostly onto the structure he was hiding behind.