Continuity mistake: When the train overtakes the cart you see in alternating shots either the cart on the road with clear field in between or, in an angle showing Rachel's and Samuel's faces, a built-up area with station and factory looking buildings. (00:08:50)
Continuity mistake: On the way from Lancaster to Philadelphia the length of the train changes. It's fairly long when it enters the Lancaster station; after leaving the station, in one shot it's just a locomotive and one car, while in a later shot it's a locomotive and three cars. (00:09:00)
Continuity mistake: When John puts up Rachel and Samuel with his sisters they are shown to their bedroom. The sister goes down the stairs and says a few words to John before he leaves. When she comes back Rachel and Samuel have already changed into their nightgowns - not at all enough time for that. (00:21:15)
Continuity mistake: In the garage shooting John uses a white car for cover. This car is parked a bit diagonally, thus providing cover because McFee is attacking from the front. After the shooting the car is parked straight and closer to the wall. (00:30:45)
Continuity mistake: When Samuel looks at the handgun in the drawer, the gun is vertical in closeup, but the grip is tilted left when Samuel reaches for it. (00:46:20)
Continuity mistake: When Rachel dances with John Book, she is chastised by her Father-in-law outside the house. As the camera angle switches back and forth from over his shoulder, then hers, the distance between them is radically different. Over her shoulder the brim of his straw hat is nearly touching her. From his perspective there appears to be a good three feet of distance. (01:05:00)
Continuity mistake: When the people are having their break during the barn raise there is a panorama shot where most of the roof is gone that had been already fixed. (01:12:20)
Continuity mistake: When Harrison Ford confronts (and beats up) the tourists, there are a number of close-up shots of the people in the first wagon, including one where Viggo Mortensen leans forward and tells the driver to do nothing, even though he is being provoked. In all these close ups, Mortensen is bare-headed. When the shot changes to Ford's perspective, from the cart behind, we see one of the tourists grab a straw hat from Mortensen's head. The hat has appeared out of nowhere in a split second. There is a child with a straw hat behind Mortensen, but the hat stays on his head in both shots. (01:22:50)
Continuity mistake: When Samuel shows his new toy to Rachel she looks out of the kitchen window into the fields. Two shots later she looks out of the same window and, surprise, there are Eli and John putting up the bird house. When she talks to Eli later there is same window in the background, with no bird house to be seen. (01:23:50)
Continuity mistake: When the local bums provoke the Amish, Viggo Mortensen's hat is grabbed twice - for the first time when the leader of the gang smears Alexander Godunov's face with ice cream, the curly-haired guy can be seen swiftly grabbing Mortensen's hat in the background. Thereafter Mortensen is hatless - until the same curly-headed bum grabs his hat again, now in the wide shot. (01:25:05)
Continuity mistake: When the three Philadelphia cops walk toward the house it is dusk; when a few seconds later McFee breaks down the door you can see the background and now it is full day with bright sunshine. (01:32:45)
Continuity mistake: When John says good-bye to Samuel you see them from across a brook, sitting on the bank. In the next shot they are shown from behind and the brook is gone. To top it off, John even walks off in the direction where the brook was before. (01:41:35)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the film, during the wordless good-bye scene between Kelly McGillis and Harrison Ford, she stands at the door wearing her Amish bonnet. The straps hang untied in front of her shoulders, but after a cut to Ford, the bonnet straps are behind her shoulders. (01:42:30)
Continuity mistake: When Schaeffer and the bad cops approach the Amish Farm, it's late afternoon/early evening. But when Samuel runs to the Hochleitner farm, and when the other Amish come running, it is mid-day or early afternoon.
Suggested correction: I always thought Shaeffer and Co arrived at dawn, not dusk. Workers could have been in the fields a bit later when the bell rang. But the morning does seem to brighten quickly.
Continuity mistake: When John crashes against the birdhouse, its pole is lying on the car's hood. When Rachel runs to help him, it is not on the hood anymore. It also breaks the windshield, though later it is intact.
