Continuity mistake: When Campbell and Cole are inside the Chinese herbal-like shop, the woman behind the counter offers Campbell a drink. When he goes to drink it he holds the cup with two hands but in the following shot he's holding it with only his right hand. (00:14:05)
Other mistake: Vanessa is illiterate, but easily reads the Hi-Way Café menu. (00:48:35)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Elle walks in to Joe's gallery, the camera takes a shot of her body from the bottom up. At this point she has on black high heel sandals. In the following scene, you see Elle in the background with brown, flat, daggy slippers.
Factual error: We learn that the previous sheriff, Charlie Wade, took revenge on anyone who smuggled illegal immigrants across the border in the late 1950s - we are shown the smuggling, as Eladio Cruz hides a group of Mexican men in a watermelon truck to take them across the border. However, in the 1950s, the border was not fortified the way it is now - the smuggling shown would simply not have been necessary.
Other mistake: Early in the movie when Shale is screening the commercial for his "services," the rolling text describing his abilities lists "Helicopter Repelling" instead of "Helicopter Rapelling".
Revealing mistake: When "Roy" is punched in the water by Mr. Brady at the end, when "Roy" hits his head comes up and it is obviously not Tim Matheson.
Continuity mistake: Early in the film, Michael talks to Harry Boland on a boat. During this scene, a cigarette appears in Boland's mouth that was not in the previous shot. (00:40:40)
Revealing mistake: Hamlet is killed and in the next scene is being carried with his arms stiff to his sides. The men carrying him go over a bump, jolting Hamlet, and he blinks.
Continuity mistake: At one point, Claire Dane's friend announces her plan to pick up guys on the beach by wearing the skimpy blue swimsuit she models. She then says that she bought one for Claire Dane, and pulls another g-string from her shopping bag. The suit is red, yet when Claire Danes is strolling down the beach in it, it is now a dark plaid.
Other mistake: As Plisken escapes in the hijacked chopper, Quervo Jones picks up a bazooka and prepares to fire on it. As Fast Eddy shoots him through the chest, watch the bazooka. You can see right through the barrel. In other words, there is no ammo in the weapon. (01:25:05)
Factual error: During the song "A Guy Like You," one of the gargoyles trips the trapdoor on Quasimodo's miniature hangman's scaffold. Trapdoors weren't used on scaffolds until the 18th century.
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film, as Aaron/Roy reveals his deception to Martin, notice the jail cell 'door' behind Martin. During the majority of the scene the door is closed, but in a couple of shots it is wide open.
Continuity mistake: All throughout the movie the back projection does not match the locations they are at.
Continuity mistake: There is a scene where Al Pacino is getting dressed for a dinner while talking to one of his aids. He addresses the aide and is seen in a dressing gown with his hair all tousled and untidy. He turns away from the camera, looks in the mirror, and turns back to camera. Miraculously his hair is now tidy as can be, with not a hair out of place!
Continuity mistake: When the Presidents jump off the moving train, James Garner pushes Jack Lemmon off first, waits several seconds, then jumps himself. Given the speed and direction the train was going, Garner should have landed quite a ways away, to the left of Lemmon. But he ends up only a short distance away, to the right of Lemmon (based on the direction they were facing when they jumped.)
Continuity mistake: When Basquiat is painting on a sign with a horse on it, he puts a white line through the horse. When Warhol has a look at it, the stripe no longer covers the horse.
Revealing mistake: After the second movie sign, when everyone gets into the theater and sits down, there's a very obvious cut, as all the characters cut immediately from the position that they sat down in to a completely different position. (00:28:05)
Continuity mistake: Montgomery's shirt, when he is ripping pages out of a book, is blue. However, when Azazello takes the gun from his hunting vest, his shirt is white.
Audio problem: When everyone is eating breakfast, Alex says "Would you pass the sugar, Noemi", but his mouth doesn't move at all.