Factual error: When Gregor shoots the guy in the car after nearly killing the little girl, blood sprays over the window, but there's no bullet hole. If the bullet exited his head, hence spraying blood, it should have gone through the window too. (00:55:00)
Factual error: Supposedly the holders of the mystery briefcase are holed up in Nice; but when De Niro and McElhone go to check out the bad guys security arrangements at their hotel, the hotel is in Cannes (believe me) and the Michelin Green Guide that De Niro is carrying is opened to a map of Cannes. (00:33:56)
Factual error: In the scene where Sam & Deidre are sitting in the Audi spying on the villa, you can see that the car steering wheel is a 3 spoked sports type which is right for that model. Later just before Larry smashes it into the Citroen outside the cafe, there is a close up of him as he comes out of a side street, you can see that the steering wheel is changed to that of 4 spoke design used on the normal A8 and not on the S8.
Factual error: In the scene where the bullet is removed from Robert DeNiro, he notes that it was sprayed with Teflon and claims that this is why it has penetrated the "bulletproof" vest. This is incorrect. Merely spraying a regular bullet with Teflon will not make it pass through body armor. Armor piercing rounds must be constructed of extra hard materials that will not deform, and usually have pointed tips to spread the fibers of the woven material of the armor. The myth of Teflon bullets came from an early round by the KTW company which used Teflon to protect the gun barrel from these extra hard materials.
Factual error: When Robert DeNiro fires the grenade launcher at the car, it would have destroyed the car and killed the passengers, not merely blown up the engine. Likewise, firing a LAW rocket at a sedan later in the chase would have completely dismantled the car, not merely blow up the back end. (00:44:35 - 00:46:20)
Factual error: During the chase in Nice, GPS coordinates in Germany and Hungary are shown on Gregor's screen. (00:42:40 - 00:49:15)
Chosen answer: It is true that it doesn't affect the plot. However Spence's (Bean's) failure can be contrasted with the professionalism of the main characters. Also it raises the possibility that whoever hired them isn't taking necessary precautions in planning and hiring. Earlier we heard Sam (De Niro) ask Vincent (Reno) if he was "labour or management" which suggests a theme of professional operators getting their hands dirty while their bosses play politics.