Best crime movie mistakes of 1971

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Dirty Harry picture

Continuity mistake: In the early scene when Harry walks across the street to confront the wounded robber on the street ("Did he fire six shots or only five?"), the shotgun used by the robber is lying several feet from the robber's hand, but when he reaches the robber, the camera shot shows the shotgun just a few inches from the robber's left hand. (00:13:00)

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The French Connection picture

Continuity mistake: When the drug tester gets done with testing the heroin, he blows out the lit candle on the bottom. But when there is a far shot of him talking, the candle is still burning.

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Shaft picture Shaft mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When Bumpy hires Shaft to find his daughter, Bumpy gives Shaft an envelope with money, and when Shaft stands up you can see the bulge of the hidden microphone and wire at the front of Shaft's turtleneck sweater. When Bumpy leaves the office Shaft turns around and there's a bulge at the back of his waist, which is presumably the mic transmitter. (00:26:10)

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Straw Dogs picture

Continuity mistake: When Dustin Hoffman drives into town at great speed, he swerves around a tractor going in the opposite direction. He parks the car and exactly one minute later the same tractor drives towards him from the middle of town and heads off up the same road it had already travelled. To accomplish this, it must have turned around and driven back to town at about 90 mph - about 5 times its normal top speed.

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Get Carter picture

Continuity mistake: When Carter is shot at the very end of the film, his shot gun falls clear of his body. In the following shot as the sea washes around his body, his hand is resting on the gun.

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The Anderson Tapes picture The Anderson Tapes mistake picture

Other mistake: When the Mayflower truck is on the move picking everyone up for the heist, a mysterious hole appears above the truck's cab, cut out in the letter "o" in "Mayflower" when Pop is picked up, that wasn't there a moment before, and then it vanishes. The same thing occurs after the heist, when the truck crashes into the police cars.

Super Grover

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Gumshoe picture

Audio problem: When the saxophonist talks to Eddie (Albert Finney) before joining his band, which has already started playing, the saxophone can be heard although the player has not yet joined them on stage.

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10 Rillington Place picture

Other mistake: At the very beginning of the film, we see Christie commit a murder at the end of the Second World War whilst wearing the uniform of a Special Constable. Christie served during the First World War, and he wears the ribbons of the 1914 or 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal on his tunic. Unfortunately, whoever put them on put the bar upside down - they read from left to right VM, BWM, Star.

Andrew Upton

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Women in Cages picture

Other mistake: The escaping prisoners gain shoes when, for most of their stay in prison, they were barefoot.

Rob245

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