Continuity mistake: At the start, the guy is putting the bomb suit on and the collar is down. Camera cuts and the collar is up. (00:04:45)
Factual error: When SGT Sanborn is placing the items in the white box, you can see his special skill badges. He has an EOD badge placed above his Combat Infantryman's Badge which should never happen. While it is possible for an EOD member to have a CIB (second MOS), no badge is ever worn above the CIB, EIB, or CAB. (00:09:25)
Visible crew/equipment: When the Humvee is stuck in traffic we see a bottle of water thrown at the car. We then get a look in the car and reflected in the window is a boom mic. (00:12:35)
Visible crew/equipment: When the Humvee stops and the guys get out, there is no-one around on the street. The one guy then says "where are the guys who called it in?" when he does, there is a reflection of 2 pairs of legs in his glasses. But no-one was there before or after. (00:13:20)
Visible crew/equipment: When radioing for confirmation, a crew member is reflected in the black guy's glasses. (00:13:50)
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. James discovers the 5 or 6 IED's, he pulls the cord and brings them all to the surface. A few shots later when he is disarming them all, they are back under gravel. (00:23:50)
Factual error: In the car bomb defusing scene, Specialist Eldridge spots a possible insurgent filming him with a video camera and states "He's getting ready to put me on YouTube." However, the film is set in the summer of 2004 (according to the official website), while YouTube was founded in February of 2005. (00:36:15)
Audio problem: In the scene where James "forgot [his] gloves down there", the sound from the detonation just before that is incorrectly in sync with the explosion. Given that they are a distance away from the blast itself, what should happen is you see the blast first, then hear it say about a second or more later (based on the estimated distance). (00:48:50)
Visible crew/equipment: When SSG William James and Sgt. JT Sanborn are sniping, Spc. Owen Eldridge is cleaning the bullets from the blood. When he passes them on, he leans his head back and you can see a tent and four or five crew members and the camera. (00:58:00)
Continuity mistake: During the sniper scene, the amount of dust on James' face keeps changing. (01:04:10)
Continuity mistake: The circle that is drawn on Sgt. James' chest changes between shots. (01:09:50)
Visible crew/equipment: When SFC William James goes through the plastic sheeting to see a dead body on the table, you can see an ungloved, crew member's hand open the entrance for him. (01:20:40)
Continuity mistake: When Sgt. James opens his jacket, he unzips it, camera cuts and he unzips it again. (01:31:40)
Continuity mistake: When James is opening his jacket he has his hand on the bottom of the jacket. Camera changes and his hand is in the air. (01:31:50)
Continuity mistake: When James returns to the base and is ordered to open his jacket, he leaves one arm raised as he reaches inside to remove his sidearm, but in the next shot, he has both arms raised again. (01:35:55)
Visible crew/equipment: When the "family man" suicide bomber is asked to kneel down you can see knee-pads under his pants when he is going down. (01:51:40)
Visible crew/equipment: When James is walking in his EOD suit, a crew member and camera can be seen in the reflection of the top of his helmet. (02:05:30)
Factual error: In one scene they are playing on an Xbox 360, but the Xbox 360 did not come out until 2005, and the game being played, Gears of War, wasn't released until 2006. The movie takes place in 2004.
Continuity mistake: James is described on the cast list as a Staff Sergeant, but he wears the rank insignia of a Sergeant First Class.
Visible crew/equipment: During the scene when Sgt. James is removing the IED from the body cavity of the young boy there is a person standing in the background behind the plastic sheeting.
Answer: The problem for the sniper was once he'd taken his shot, he was now pretty exposed. He didn't have a lot of cover and it wouldn't have taken the Americans long to figure out where the shot came from, hence why the enemy snipers made no attempt to move.
GalahadFairlight