Best drama movie plot holes of all time

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The Final Countdown picture

Plot hole: While still unsure where and when they are, the Nimitz has two F-14 Tomcats aloft, investigating a pair of low-altitude radar contacts. They determine the planes are WWII-vintage Japanese Zeros in full military livery. The Tomcats are told to shadow the Zeros without engaging them. Then, the Captain, the XO, the CAG and Lasky all go to a formal dining room and sit down to tea. In this scene, they talk about many other 1941-era things that are happening, but nobody mentions the Zeros. That fact, and that they left their Tomcats where they did, suggests this scene was meant to be in an earlier part of the film (when things seemed odd, but no imminent threat existed) and got moved here, creating a plot hole that the USS Nimitz could slide through sideways. US Navy nuclear carrier command staff wouldn't simply go have tea under the current conditions. (00:40:30)

johnrosa

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Never So Few picture

Plot hole: When the Allies blow up the airfield they pour gunfire from the backs of the trucks into the tents where the Japanese soldiers are eating. If you watch carefully you will see that the Allied guys in the truck nearest the screen are pouring lead through their comrades in the other truck. Another classic case of 'friendly fire'.

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Black Water picture

Plot hole: Kingsley holds the only key card that can access the control room where the Captain is. He only has one card. He gives this key card to Rhodes so he can go up there and talk the Captain into not taking the sub to the surface yet, while Kingsley and his men head down to stop Scott and Taylor. When they employ the help of Marco and take out Kingsley and his men, Marco bends down and pulls the key card off Kingsley's neck so that now they have it... only Kingsley didn't have the key any more, as Rhodes had it and was still in the control room. A second key card magically materialized on Kingsley's neck.

Quantom X

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Suggested correction: Kingsley only took the keycard from his neck to open the door and then hold it in his hand, so I guess he actually didn't give it to Rhodes. Just opened the doors.

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The Next Three Days picture

Plot hole: Modern diabetes management will tell a patient immediately if their glucose levels are out of the ordinary. Results are not monitored and delivered to a county jail by an outside lab. If a diabetic is sick enough, they would have obvious physical indications. The entire escape plan hinges upon these fallacies.

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Dismissed picture

Plot hole: It seems highly unlikely that Lucas would be able to "mess with" Mr. Butler's application for a professorship position, or be able to accomplish what he did in such a short amount time. Off-screen, Lucas went into Mr. Butler's briefcase (foolishly left on his desk in the classroom during lunchtime) and (correctly) assumed Mr. Butler's application was on his laptop. Lucas would have to be able to figure out Mr. Butler's password (something that could take forever), find the right file on his laptop, read or scan the application to determine what he could do to mess it up, write a new answer for "qualities that make me a good teacher", and leave the classroom before anyone saw him. Lucas would also have to assume that Mr. Butler would not notice the change when he printed the application, made a photocopy, and double-checked the application before inserting it in the envelope and mailing it.

KeyZOid

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Disturbia picture

Plot hole: Turner locks himself and Ashley in her car so he can confront her. However after his speech, Turner somehow manages to open the door without unlocking it.

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Suggested correction: It is accurate that Turner can open the door without unlocking it, all modern cars can be opened from the inside whether the door is locked or not. Ashley never actually tries to open the door, she reaches for the handle and stops once Turner locks the door. Since the movie never actually shows Ashley try to open the door, this doesn't count as a plot hole. If anything this is a character mistake, Ashley should be well aware that she can't be "locked in" a car that new.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Four Brothers picture

Plot hole: At the start of the gun fight at the house, a snowball is thrown at Jack who then follows the person into the street. When they turn around the person is wearing a hockey mask and Jack realises he's in trouble. Jack would've seen the person wearing the hockey mask when the snowball was thrown, as the person had to be facing him to throw it. There was no reason after that for Jack to follow him.

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Wicker Park picture

Plot hole: It's hard to believe that no one except Alex has a cell. These are fairly successful people, especially a traveling Matthew. No one having cell phones is highly unlikely.

RareJewel

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Domestic Disturbance picture

Plot hole: In the middle of the film, after the custody hearing, Frank shows up at an event. Danny pretends that Frank dropped his wallet in order to have a brief conversation with his dad. Later, Rick confronts him about what they talked about. What does Rick expect? It's not like Danny will never be allowed to visit his father again. They are going to talk at some point. For Vince to expect that he will never talk to his father again is unrealistic.

RareJewel

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The Hand that Rocks the Cradle picture

Plot hole: The only reason the movie takes place is because the news station that Mrs. Mott watches names Claire as the woman who filled the lawsuit against Mr. Mott. It is completely illegal for broadcasters to name or show a picture of a sexually assaulted victim.

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The House of the Dead picture

Plot hole: When the main bad guy is being hung as a normal human character, he speaks as he is being hung. However people cannot speak when they are being strangled. (01:15:20)

dizzle

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Out For Justice picture

Plot hole: When Frank gets the phone call that Bobby has been shot, all that is said is that Bobby has been shot on the street in Italian. They never said Richie shot him.

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Rebel Without a Cause picture

Plot hole: When the first police car arrives at the observatory, the policeman there tells them that the kid (Plato) holed up in the observatory has a gun and had "wounded a kid earlier." However, when that same policeman arrived at the mansion, he and his partner only ran into Plato and then followed him to the observatory. He had absolutely no way of knowing what had happened at the mansion prior to them getting there, which is when Plato shot one of Buzz's buddies.

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Down by Law picture

Plot hole: Where did Bob find a knife to skin and clean the rabbit? And why did he leave the ears and front paws? (01:19:45)

NancyFelix

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Carlito's Way picture

Plot hole: Carlito's cousin was killed in the beginning at the sleazy bar, but you can see him walking down the stairs before Carlito goes to the train platform. The background is blurred but you can tell it's him.

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Runaway Jury picture

Plot hole: Fitch should have been aware of Herman Grimes being a selected juror for it was revealed that everyone who received a jury summons for the case was photographed in the beginning of the movie. Herman would have received a summons just the same as the rest and would have been treated the same.

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Derailed picture

Plot hole: During the end of the fight scene in the hotel, Charlie gets hold of Dexter's gun. This gun is a Desert Eagle variant that fires either a .357, .44, or a .50AE caliber round. At the close proximity to Laroche that Charlie was, he would have taken his head clean off his shoulders instead of just taking out his eye.

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Iris picture

Plot hole: When John retrieves the mail from the postman, Iris dashes outside. Less than 10 seconds after she closes the door, a car is heard, off-camera, honking a horn. Wouldn't John have found Iris so soon after that noise is heard? She doesn't seem to have enough time to allow for a search for her.

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Into the Blue picture

Plot hole: When the group first finds the plane, they are all able to hold their breath long enough to descend, search the plane and resurface. Yet later in the movie, even though Amanda can get a full breath of air from the air pocket in the plane, she can't hold her breath long enough to swim to the surface and has to be rescued by Jared.

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The Poseidon Adventure picture

Plot hole: Shortly after the ship flips over, the steward, Acres, is asked why lights are on. He explains they are emergency lights that will last three hours. The lights are left on throughout the movie, but when they get out it is bright daylight. Considering the ship flipped at midnight, there is nowhere on any ocean where it gets light at 3:00 in the morning.

beaverisl

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