Factual error: There is a short discussion about famous persons dying on plane crashes with John Denver being mentioned. The movie is set in 1996. John Denver was perfectly alive and well. He died in late 1997. (00:03:40)
Plot hole: According to the last radio conversation between Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, the final "RP" was "5 clicks East." Why then, after a short run to the pickup ride, did he travel 26km in the pickup to the war-torn town of Hac?
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Burnett falls into the graves, those watching the infrared satellite image on the carrier say that after Burnett falls, he never moves. If he doesn't move, then how did get under a body? (00:43:20)
Continuity mistake: When the tank fires into the building Burnett and the other man flies through the air landing on the floor. When they are about to get up we see broken glass beside Burnett. When it cuts the glass is gone. Also when they land Burnett's head is facing the man. When it cuts they lie feet against feet. (01:08:05)
Factual error: When Bosnian Muslims pick Owen Wilson's character, the car in which they drive has licence plates used only after the Bosnian War. (01:02:50)
Continuity mistake: The plane's weapons are there in some shots and not there in some shots. At 14:22, on the carrier you can clearly see 2 sidewinder missiles on the tips of the wings. At 14:52, they are there but are now blue. At 14:53, as it goes past "SHOOTER" they are gone. 14:57 there again.
Revealing mistake: Gruesome but wrong. When the other pilot is murdered, the killer shoots him in the neck pointing downwards, but the spray of the blood-pack is from his forehead up high. (00:31:20)
Continuity mistake: After takeoff is aborted, the crew leaves their aircraft on the catapult, still facing the bow of the ship. When Owen Wilson grabs the football and runs to the bow of the ship, in the background there is no aircraft lined up on the catapult. (00:04:30)
Factual error: When the football falls in the water, the crew yells "Wilson". This is not a reference to the actor's real name but a semi-obscure reference to the ball in the movie "Cast Away". These movies were released very close together and so the likelihood that a movie-viewer would get the joke is certainly possible. However, the movie takes place in 1996, and "Cast Away" was released in 2000. (00:05:30)
Continuity mistake: When Burnett is on the phone with his dad a man writes "Stackhouse/Burnett" on a board. Later in the close-up the handwriting has changed. (00:12:45)
Continuity mistake: The SAM that's used to shot down the F-18 is a BRDM-2 mounted 9K31 Strela-1 which uses either 9M31 or 9M31M IR missiles. The missiles seen flying after the F-18 aren't either of those models. (00:18:40)
Factual error: NATO officials are not against sending missions to rescue soldiers behind enemy lines. In fact, they are more than willing to send a rescue mission if there is a soldier behind enemy lines. Piquet would have been punished for trying to stop the rescue mission, and for only caring about the peace treaty, as NATO officials would not have tolerated Piquet's bad attitude towards the rescue mission, or him only caring about the peace treaty. They know that rescue missions do not start wars because peace treaties have mechanisms to prevent just that.
Factual error: The exploding fuel tanks are dropped and explode to distract the Surface to Air missile. Problem: When the tanks are dropped, the SAM is only fractions of a second behind our hero's Jet. Assuming the fuel tanks would explode on impact, that would take several seconds to make a fireball. By then the jet and the SAM would be long past the fireball. (00:23:00)
Plot hole: While parachuting from a shot down aircraft, why would a trained air force flight crew with a steerable parachute bypass the broad, open landing site to land in trees? (00:26:30)
Continuity mistake: In the launch scene of the recon mission, one camera shot is centered on the aircraft's lower fuselage as it is moving on the catapult towards and to the right of the camera. If you look closely, you will notice that there are rounded intakes on the aircraft. Those intakes are only on the regular Hornet (F/A-18A-D). The Super Hornet (F/A-18E/F) has rectangular intakes like the Tomcat. (00:14:50)
Continuity mistake: Right after Stackhouse and Brunett has been spotted flying by the serbian soldiers and the soldier enters Lokar's office, we see Lokar resting his head in his hand while holding a cigarette. When it cuts he is no longer resting his head but he takes a lung full up smoke instead. (00:17:45)
Factual error: Gene Hackman is the Adriatic Fleet Admiral. While onboard the aircraft carrier, he carries out duties as the captain of the carrier. The only people who can give orders on a carrier are the ship's captain or the airwing captain. Gene Hackman could only give orders to the captain, who in turn would give orders to the crew.
Suggested correction: The mission was unsanctioned and off the books. So in this case where the Admiral was the one who went "rouge" to save his guy it's completely normal that he'd be giving direct orders. He would not funnel an order through a captain in an illegal operation.
Admirals can only give orders to the captain who in turn would give orders to the crew. Missions being unsanctioned and off the books, and the admiral going rouge to save his would not change that.
Revealing mistake: When the tank bursts into the building it fires and Burnett flies through the air landing on a table. It is a stunt double, cause his hair is shorter and darker. (01:09:45)
Factual error: Most of the film footage shows the F-18E/F model "Super Hornet." At the time of the Bosnian conflict, this aircraft was not yet in service and was not slated to enter service until 2002. First flight: December, 1995. First carrier landing test: 1997. Entered Service: 2002/03.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Burnett stops the Pickup truck and it skids. The blond haired passenger on the truckbed is leaning on the rail and suddenly on the next shot he is leaning on the truck cab. (01:03:00)
