Continuity mistake: When Carrie Bufalino says she wants to stop for a smoke she is sitting on the right side in the car, behind the driver. When they stop she gets out from the left side. (00:21:05)
Factual error: During the trip's second stop for smoking, the overhead wiring has an optic fiber box joint visible, which doesn't fit for that year. (00:21:18)
Factual error: In the movie it says Allen Dorfman was shot in 1979 - he was actually shot in 1983. (00:56:25)
Continuity mistake: When a man attacks Hoffa in court, Hoffa's son attacks him, then in the next shot he is not up from his chair. (01:22:47)
Continuity mistake: The green late 1960s Cadillac Eldorado that gets shot up is two different cars. The first car shown is a 1967 model while the other car is from a later model year with circular side marker lamps. (01:33:00 - 01:34:30)
Factual error: There is celebration in Little Italy. A police officer is trying to stop a shooter, and his uniform has a 12 on the collar, signifying supposedly the 12th Precinct of the NYPD. There's no 12th precinct in the NYPD. The real 12th precinct was abolished in 1916, and the building was used as a police storehouse after that. (01:38:35)
Continuity mistake: After Joey Gallo messes with Russel on his birthday in the night club, Frank is ordered to kill him in a small restaurant in little Italy. Frank succeeds and Gallo seems dead, being shot multiple times on the ground and while running. Later in the movie, in the "Frank Appreciation Gala" scene, we can see Joey Gallo as one of the guests, very much alive and happy to be there for Frank. (01:42:54 - 02:13:01)
Factual error: When Frank watches TV the news anchor says that Crazy Joe was killed at age 47 - he was 43. (01:47:25)
Factual error: Frank boards a Cessna 421C twin-engine airplane. The pilot "starts" the engines, but only one is heard. You would have to go through startup procedures for two engines. Worse, it starts up instantly, but the mixture controls for both engines are at idle-cutoff, and both throttles are at full power. Not the procedure you use to start an engine, let alone two. (02:34:50)
Revealing mistake: In the shot of De Niro sitting in the plane you can see the controls next to the pilot. We hear the plane start but the pilot never touches the controls. It taxis for takeoff and the mixture controls (red knobs) are still in the mixture cutoff zone. No fuel would go to the engines and they would not run. Also both engines start at the same time, which is impossible with any twin engine airplane. Not to mention that the avionics are all dark as well and the engine gauges read zero. (02:35:00 - 02:35:40)
Factual error: When Frank drives up the street looking for the "Hoffa hit house" there is a white 2001 Mercedes van sitting at the driveway beside one of the houses. (02:37:33)
Continuity mistake: When Frank calls Jo after Jimmy's death Frank has different reactions in different shots. Obviously, the scene is shot more than once and while editing they made the mistake and couldn't cut correctly. (02:52:10)
Factual error: While handling the ignition coil cable to the distributor cap, Joe Pesci tells De Niro that the timing chain needs adjustment in his truck. A truck of that year with an inline Chevy motor would not have a timing chain at all, instead this truck would be equipped with a direct drive timing gear. Even if it had a timing chain, it would be behind the water pump and a cover. It would have been a several hour job to replace, not possible to adjust it.
Continuity mistake: When Hoffa is angry at the meeting bitching about the Kennedys Frank exits and puts his coat on. The collar is raised in the front shot and lowered in the angle shot from behind.
Revealing mistake: When Frank kicks the grocery store owner in the face twice his kicks miss by far.
Factual error: The twin engine Cessna 421C airplane which Frank travels in has modern avionics upgrade not available at the time. Tail number N212RV wasn't issued an air worthiness certificate until June 1979.
Factual error: When the Machus Red Fox is shown, it is depicted in the middle of a country road, with mountains in the background. The actual Machus Red Fox at the time was on a busy street behind a strip mall on Telegraph road near 15 mile. Also, big hills that are shown in the movie are non-existent in Michigan.
Factual error: Multiple scenes show cars with Pennsylvania license plates on the front bumper. Pennsylvania did away with the front license plate in 1957.
Factual error: In the opening scene when De Niro is mapping out his route from Pennsylvania to Detroit, the map shows interstate 275 which wasn't even built at that point.
Factual error: When plotting the trip to Detroit, it show Frank drawing his route as I 80 merging onto 75N in Toledo toward Detroit. Toledo is approximately 60 miles south of Detroit. When actually driving, they stop at a HoJo's and pass a road sign that says Columbus 64, Dayton 86 and Detroit 212 on I 75.That puts them going north on I 75 between Cincinnati and Dayton. That would have put them 160 miles south of I-80.
Suggested correction: The sign read Detroit 272, not 212. Doing a radius from each point creates a convergence of three circles pinpointing their actual location. That location is in the small town of Sparta, Kentucky.
