Continuity mistake: As they are escorted out of the Mar Vista rest home, Jake kicks Claude Mulvihill in the stomach and if you look closely his hat never leaves his left hand as he smashes his head into the front railing. In the next shot as Claude drops his gun to the floor we see the hat on the ground next to it. (01:19:10)
Revealing mistake: When Gittes visits the orange grove and crashes into the tree, you can see that a steel plate has been placed around the tree to protect it.
Visible crew/equipment: Jake goes to Hollis Mulwray's house and as he rings the doorbell you can see the reflection of the cameraman in the shiny door. (00:25:35)
Continuity mistake: After he takes a shower Jake's stitches are very visible as they stick straight out of his nose. In the next shot they are different and you can hardly see them. This happens many times throughout the movie. (01:36:20)
Visible crew/equipment: Jake goes into Hollis Mulwray's office and looks at Evelyn Mulwray's picture on his desk. He doesn't move a muscle but the cameraman can be seen moving in the reflection in the glass. (00:20:40)
Continuity mistake: When Evelyn Mulwray meets Jake at the restaurant, the maitre d' walks away from them. In the next shot, he's standing looking at them with the waiter by his side. (00:45:45)
Continuity mistake: As Jake takes their picture from the roof top we see Katherine Cross and Hollis Mulwray's reflection in the camera lens and her dress is a direct sunlight in the reflection but not in the previous shot. (00:16:05)
Continuity mistake: As Jake and Noah Cross sit down to eat lunch the column holding up the roof of the building is on his left. He gets up to leave only to sit down again and now the column behind him is on his right. (01:04:05)
Continuity mistake: When Evelyn Mulwray meets Jake at the restaurant, the spots on her veil change between shots after we first see her. (00:45:45)
Visible crew/equipment: After having tea with Evelyn Mulwray Jake gets up and walks away. The shadow of the cameraman appears on the back of his jacket. (00:30:40)
Continuity mistake: Jake walks back into his office after getting a shave at the barber shop and sees Duffy standing by the water cooler which has a tank that is one-quarter full. Two shots later as he tells his joke about the Chinamen the water tank is half full. (00:17:50)
Continuity mistake: At the office, Jake picks up the photos of Hollis Mulwray and Noah Cross, which Lawrence Walsh gives him, with both hands. In the next shot he's holding them with his left hand. (00:13:30)
Visible crew/equipment: After they make love Evelyn and Jake lay in bed and she says, "You really don't like to talk about the past, do you?" Listen closely as a crewmember moves around in the background. (01:24:20)
Continuity mistake: Jake Goes to the Los Angeles County Hall of Records. The coat hanging on the coat rack and the chair behind "the weasel" move between shots without being touched. (01:06:55)
Continuity mistake: Before the farmer's son hits Jake over the head with his crutch there's blood on the right side of his shirt. In the next scene as he wakes up to see Evelyn Mulwray there's less blood on his shirt. (01:12:45)
Continuity mistake: Jake opens the middle draw of Hollis Mulwray's desk and then closes it. Several shots later he opens the right draw of the desk and we see that the middle draw is still open. (00:21:10)
Continuity mistake: At Ida Sessions' house, Lieutenant Escobar shows Jake his phone number on the wall above her phone. In the close-up of the phone number there's a card stuck in between the wall and the phone and if you look closely the left edge is frayed. When Jake walked into the room it wasn't. (01:41:00)
Visible crew/equipment: As Evelyn Mulwray and Jake talk in the restaurant, he holds up an envelope and the shadow of the camera can be seen on its back. (00:49:15)
Continuity mistake: A farmer shoots Jake's radiator, which spurts a steady stream of water and steam. In the next shot when the car crashes the radiator is not leaking. (01:10:30)
Continuity mistake: As Evelyn Mulwray stands in front of Jake at the table in the restaurant, look closely at the red chair behind them. When she first walks in, the seam is under the wood post in the center of the screen. In the next shot, it's been moved about two feet to the left. (00:45:50)
