Continuity mistake: When Dormer and Eckhart arrive by seaplane the pilot opens the door for them but then vanishes between shots (just as Detective Burr greets them). (00:04:40)
Continuity mistake: When they first interview the boyfriend at school, you see the boyfriend lighting a cigarette, taking a drag, and exhaling smoke. The camera angle changes and the smoke that was just in front of him is gone. (00:18:25)
Continuity mistake: When Al Pacino runs along the boardwalk towards the floating logs, following Robin Williams, in the shots showing him from behind he is running with his arms spread at a considerable angle, while in the shots showing him from the front, he is keeping his arms into his body. (00:25:20)
Visible crew/equipment: When Dormer is chasing Finch through the fog there are two shots where you can see orange power cables on the ground near Dormer's feet. (00:26:00)
Revealing mistake: When Dormer fails to pursue Finch during the log chase scene, he climbs out of the water by a ladder. If you look at Dormer's back as he gets out of the water onto the dock you can see an outline of the life jacket Pacino wore to film the scene. You can see the outline again when he turns around and walks up the walkway. (01:00:49 - 01:01:11)
Continuity mistake: In the scene on the ferry, when Williams and Pacino are talking, in the shots showing Williams, Pacino is facing the center of the ferry frequently, while immediately afterward in the shots showing Pacino, he is facing Williams again.
Continuity mistake: When Dormer and Finch meet up after the interrogation, Dormer slams Fince against a metal support beam and the position of his hands of Finch change from being pressed against Finch's left cheek to being pressed against his neck/shoulder area as the camera angle changes. Happens about 3 times during scene.
Continuity mistake: When Robin Williams is being questioned by the police for the first time, one of the cops is talking to him. Very soon afterward the cop leaves the room and is walking away. We see the cop in the distance in another room, yet we hear the cop talking to Robin Williams again as Al Pacino shuts the door. Almost immediately, the camera angle changes to the cop as he finishes talking. He is standing in front of Robin Williams again.
Continuity mistake: When Dormer first goes to Finch's apartment, you see him taking out his gun and holding it in his right hand as he starts walking down the hallway. Camera angle changes and the gun is no longer in his hand. Camera angle changes again and the gun is back in his hand.
Factual error: Al Pacino is the subject of an internal affairs inquiry in Los Angeles. It's unlikely a police officer under investigation in L.A. would be sent to Alaska to work on a murder case. Police officers under investigation are routinely given desk assignments until officially cleared and allowed to return to active duty.
Other mistake: When Al Pacino is supposedly dead, on the left side of his neck ( to our right ) his pulse can still be seen slightly.
Continuity mistake: During the final fight, Pacino & Williams shoot it out in a small boathouse. Williams is shot and rolls into the water (dropping about 2 foot before splashing in). Pacino walks out of the house and meets the female officer. The camera pulls back to show the boat house on stilts about 20 feet out of the water.
Continuity mistake: When Al Pacino and Hilary Swank are talking outside of the building, the shots of Swank show the jeep in the background. Look at the front tyre: completely flat. A few scenes later it is being driven with a perfectly inflated front right hand tyre.
Suggested correction: The tyre LOOKS like it is below some sort of curb line. I kept thinking it was flat too.
Plot hole: Days after Hap's killing Ellie finds a shell casing from a Walther handgun. I find it hard to believe that the police wouldn't comb the scene of a cop's murder enough to find a bright shell lying on black rocks.
Other mistake: When Al Pacino falls into the water off the floating logs, the platform on which he climbs out of the water onto is already wet and even has footprints leading to the metal walkway behind him (which at the end of the scene he leaves on).
Continuity mistake: When Rachel and Dormer are in his room the night before he is going to leave, she takes a sofa cushion down from the dresser; the camera angle changes and she has two cushions.
