Continuity mistake: In the scene where Coco tears up the photo of Luke with the women, he tears it carelessly, starting with the upper left corner. The end shot of the movie shows the same photo, reassembled, showing a neat, cross-wise tear, with the center of the tear directly over Luke's heart.
Continuity mistake: In the last scene of the movie Dragline grabs Boss Godfrey, the man with no eyes, and begins to push and shove him. In the scene you see the hat that Boss Godfrey's wearing fall off. But the next instant, after the camera flashes to another view and immediately comes back the hat mysteriously appears again and falls off again.
Continuity mistake: On the same day that Luke got thumped to the ground by Dragline, his injuries cleared up in time for the classic card game. During the fight, the dirt marks on Luke's back constantly change.
Factual error: "Lucille" is listening to a transistor radio when she washes the car - clear from the size and because the music starts as soon as she turns it on. The first transistor radio wasn't available until 1954, and this movie is set in the very early 50s.
Suggested correction: Another correction points out that this film takes place post-Korean War, so after 1953. The radio fits the timeline.
Continuity mistake: Luke uses an axe to break his leg irons on a wood stump. He asks boy to bring chili powder curry, and when the tins are put on the stump, there's no broken chain. Shortly afterward, bloodhounds and guards arrive and find bits of broken chain on the stump.
Continuity mistake: The chain gang start to resurface road. "If the man wants speed, let's give him speed". At first only Luke is shoveling fast. Notice muscle-man next to Luke. From different POVs, he is at first slow, then fast, then slow again. It's easy to miss: just watch the shovels.
Continuity mistake: When Luke is shot, in the impact shot blood splatters onto the window, and in the very next shot, there's instantly much more blood on the window.
Factual error: In the opening when the men are hacking away at the straw on the side of the road you can see a late sixties blue station wagon driving through the intersection in the background.
Continuity mistake: When the new prisoners are being addressed by the captain it is clear that Ralph Waite is wearing a T shirt under his civilian shirt. In the next scene when the prisoners are stripping and changing to prison uniforms, Waite removes his shirt and is not wearing the T shirt.
