Factual error: The movie takes place during the 1990s, but throughout the movie cars are shown with Illinois license plates with "Illinois" written in cursive. These plates were not introduced until 2001. (00:24:45)
Factual error: During the first tunnel sequence, all the cars travel very far into the mountains, turn lots of corners, yet not only is Gisele still able to speak to them over the radios, their GPS still works. GPS signals invariably need a clear 'sight' of the sky and can penetrate light cover, but most certainly not that depth and cover. (00:58:05)
Factual error: In the scene depicting life on Baker Street (after the "Sherlock Holmes" title), a horse-drawn carriage races through the streets of London. The only problem is, the carriage is driving on the right side of the road with others passing on the left. In England, carriages would be driving on the left. (00:07:05)
Factual error: In one scene, focused on a period wood-staked pickup truck parked on the street, you can see clearly a modern Jeep Grand Cherokee parked on the other side of the street.
Factual error: When Robert Bingham is shooting at Cal, an MPD (Washington, DC) squad car shows up. However, the scene is set in Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, outside of MPD's jurisdiction. Arlington County Police would have responded instead. (01:13:05)
Factual error: Contrary to what the movie states, priests can be elected Pope - they are simply elevated to the rank of Bishop before taking the office.
Suggested correction: Him being only a priest was simply an excuse not to elect him. Those who did not want him to be pope were trying to find any reason to keep it from happening.
Any baptized Catholic male can be elected pope, although it has only happened once. Pope John XIX in the 11th century was a layman, ordained after his election.
Factual error: When the group discovers the armoured truck in the woods, the officer says it's from the 1950's. After they open the door and are looking at the money, it looks brand new. Money sitting in the weather and heat would get mouldy and deteriorate after 50 plus years.
Factual error: We see Hoffman has to use pliers and force to remove Strahm's hand from the grill. However, since the hand is freshly severed, rigor mortis would not have set in, and he should have been able to remove it with ease. (01:09:30)
Factual error: When the guys first set up the website to accept submissions, the year is 1997. We see a shot of the computer screen which displays that they are running Windows XP, which wasn't released until 2001.
Factual error: When Mya points out his Loch Ness tattoo, and asks when he got it, and he says the night before, it would not be healed as it is. It would still be red, raised, and be covered to protect it. Also, later in the movie when he is on the ground and we see the large tattoo across the whole back, this would also be impossible as a whole back tattoo would take at least two or three long sessions, and this movie takes place over just a couple of days.
Factual error: When the elevator falls to the ground it passes a hotel waitress and blows her hair and pieces from her trolley away. In fact the wind gust comes after the elevator has passed, in reality it would come before it passed, as the air ahead of the elevator would be compressed and blown outwards, leaving lower pressure behind which would cause a gust inwards.
Factual error: In the scene of the parking garage in Vegas, as the group is escaping the Trekkies, you can see vehicles in the parkade from the 2000's. The movie is taking place in 1998.
Factual error: In several scenes, characters drink 'Scotch Whiskey' from a bottle with a label that is obviously something the props department created. That's how it's spelled on the label, 'Scotch Whiskey'. The problem is, if it's Scotch, it's spelled 'WHISKY' (without the 'e').
Factual error: During one of Blomkvist's flashbacks to his childhood with his babysitter (about 40 years ago), he is wearing Lightning McQueen shoes.
Factual error: Carty and Elvis meet up and are walking up a street. This film is set in 1979 but as they get to the top of the street, top right of the screen there is a modern day Renault Clio car. (00:42:48)
Factual error: There is a poster of Shaun Cassidy hanging on Susie's bedroom door - not only was Sean Cassidy only 15 years old at the time, but he hadn't even had a hit single yet.
Suggested correction: If you're talking about the poster visible at the 16-minute mark, I'm pretty sure that is Shaun's half-brother David Cassidy who was at the height of his popularity in 1973.
It's definitely David Cassidy.
Factual error: Almost all the semi-tractor trailers on the Interstate passing by are from the 2000s, not 1995, the timeline of the movie.
Factual error: The part of the movie where they have had the morning updates at the police station, Richard Gere later walks on the sidewalk and stares deliberately at a pair of Muslims praying. The sun is shining on the backs of the Muslims heads indicating that they are facing west even though Mecca would be off to a much more easterly direction from Brooklyn.
Factual error: It seems unlikely Zoe could take a knife to the head which pierced her brain and lived without consequences. She would've probably died or have a permanent injury like frontal lobe epilepsy.