Factual error: The movie is supposed to take place in and around New York City. However, during the car chase where Angelina and Brad are fighting off the three BMWs, a wide shot shows a street sign announcing Los Angeles.
Factual error: When they go into the water, they put mouthpieces in, but, a few times, they talk to each other, which is impossible with mouthpieces in.
Factual error: We are told at some point that Nicole Kidman has dual nationality because she was born in the US. In the final scene, when she is talking with Sean Penn about her future steps, she says she has been deported and given one day to leave the country. She was a US citizen, so it is impossible that she would be "deported".
Factual error: Shane is a lieutenant and the Principal is Petty Officer first class. Shane states the Principal is the senior officer. This is wrong as the Petty Officer is a Non Commissioned Officer, while Shane is a commissioned officer. Shane outranks the Principal.
Factual error: Jodie Foster states that as a propulsion engineer, she knows the internal structure of the plane by heart and has worked extensively on it. The problem with that is that propulsion engineers work on the jet engines - which are all on the outside of the plane, on the wings. Sure, a propulsion engineer might have some basic knowledge of the plane's interior design and engineering, but the in-depth knowledge she claims comes from her job simply isn't right - that's the job of avionics engineers.
Factual error: There would not be so many people standing around on the flight deck without some type of ear and eye protection and a float coat.
Factual error: At the beginning of the movie, the main characters are supposedly in Amsterdam, but everyone is speaking German, it's not just the main characters doing this.
Factual error: When they're near the ferry, the fiery train zooms by. Passenger trains along the Hudson River run along the east bank of the Hudson, not the west bank, where the ferry was departing. (00:56:55)
Factual error: When Angela is watching the security video on her laptop of her sister committing suicide, you can see she's playing it using Quicktime. She rewinds a couple of seconds by clicking on the first button of the video player. Actually, when you click this button, it takes you to the beginning of the video. The second button would have rewound it a short time. (00:25:20)
Factual error: In the shot where the laser sights of the assailants come in through the windows and holes in the wall, their angles are far too different from each other. The shooters are standing at a rather great distance from the structure and at more or less the same height. All the laser sights should have more or less the same direction and certainly not make a sweeping motion inside the room. (00:37:30)
Factual error: When the first train wheel hits the ground in the close up, you can see that it isn't made of steel as it deforms as if it were foam. And there is also no damage to the concrete road whatsoever, since the wheels are made of steel there should have been quite a big hole. (01:17:50)
Factual error: Stone sneaks aboard the USS Independence (CVA-62) to investigate the bad guy's arms cache..yet, when he dives into the water, he is jumping off the USS Hornet (CVS-12). (00:50:35 - 00:57:45)
Factual error: When Marv is talking with the Priest in the confessional, he cocks the hammer of his pistol as a means of interrogation. But in the next shot, the pistol is uncocked, without sufficient time for this to occur. In fact, the pistol is uncocked even when Marv shoots him. This cannot happen, since his pistol is a standard 1911 .45, which requires the hammer to be cocked in order to fire.
Factual error: On the hike to the cave, Sarah and her friends encounter a deer carcass - a red stag, which are not found in North Carolina.
Factual error: The vehicles in the movie have front and back license plates. The state of Florida does not have front plates, only back.
Factual error: When the orphans are taken at the start of the film, the police car outside is a 1990's Ford Crown Victoria, despite the events being said to occur 22 years ago- meaning the early 1980s.
Factual error: Luc Crash holds the match unreasonably close to the gas-soaked priest, whom he intends to play with and not actually burn alive. At the distance he held the match, the fumes from the gas would have caught fire.
Factual error: The registration plate of the white Jaguar refers to a year 2003 registration. This is impossible as this particular model Jaguar ceased production a long time ago, and could never have that plate.
Factual error: After crashing headfirst into the water, the airplane is not damaged "correctly" at the end of the movie. The front shows little damage, when it should be crushed and the back has come apart, despite taking the least amount of impact from the hit.
Factual error: The timeline for this film is incorrect. The flight Lisa takes is a red eye from Dallas to Miami. Non-stop flights between those cities takes 2 1/2 hours. Even with the west to east time change, this isn't long enough for a red eye. Shortly after take off, the clock in her father's house reads about 11:15pm. The plane lands after sunrise in Miami.
Suggested correction: Sorry to burst your bubble here but there is scuba equipment which allows for talking whilst using a regulator.
They're not wearing such equipment. In the movie they're just wearing regular mouthpieces.
In the DVD commentary the writers explain that the divers should have been wearing full face masks which allow for communication, but the director changed it for mouthpieces, but kept the talking in. They pointed out this mistake.