Continuity mistake: When Jack is in the Fort Prison, he's trying to get the dog to bring him the keys. When he says, "Good boy. Come get the bone," the handle sticking out of the pail on the floor is leaning away from the cell. When the dog comes closer, and Jack says, "That's it, doggy," the handle in the pail is facing towards the cell door. (00:36:10)
Revealing mistake: Koehler and Twig are with Jack in the prison when Koehler reaches for Jack's neck through the cell bars. In the first shot, the ray of moonlight is outside of the cell bars, over Jack's head, so Koehler's arm becomes skeletal while still outside the bars and we see the 'cursed' sleeve till the elbow. However, in the next shot, the ray of moonlight is only inside the cell where Koehler reaches, so Koehler's arm and sleeve are normal until it becomes skeletal, just when it's inside the cell. (00:37:00)
Continuity mistake: When Elizabeth first boards the Black Pearl, in some shots the end of the sleeves of her white nightgown are seen with the sleeves of her floral robe, yet in some shots the white sleeves don't show. Also in some shots, when the white sleeves do show, the amount of white sleeve varies. (00:38:00)
Continuity mistake: When Elizabeth is taken aboard the Black Pearl, Bo'sun slaps her face. Bo'sun's hand never makes any contact with Elizabeth's face, but the sound effect makes it very convincing. Also, in the first side shot of the slap, when Bo'sun starts to say, "You'll speak..." it's the back of her left hand that touches her cheek, and we can see the white corner of her night gown under the robe sleeve. In the next front shot, it's the palm of her hand that is touching her cheek now and the white night gown doesn't show at the sleeve. (00:38:10)
Plot hole: Elizabeth goes to drop the medallion over the side of the Pearl. Barbossa and the crew gasp and take a step forward revealing they want/need the medallion thus giving Elizabeth the upper hand in the negotiations. Why not let the medallion drop into the water below the Pearl and simply "take a walk" to get the medallion off the ocean floor? The crew can walk under water as shown later in the film so this shouldn't be an issue. (00:38:15)
Suggested correction: Why not "simply take a walk" to retrieve that medallion? They have spent many years trying to find this bit of precious gold. If it's dropped, the underwater currents will most certainly carry it away, and if they walk underwater their feet will kick up the seabed making it even more difficult to locate. These cursed pirates have finally found their last missing piece, which would once and for all end their miserable curse, so they will not risk it being dropped into the sea.
Suggested correction: They only got startled from the idea, not realizing yet they could reclaim it easily, they are so close after all. Barbossa is not pleading to her, and they were hardly negotiating, Elizabeth was even only demanding they leave, nothing yet about the gold. All the scene does is give the dialogue needed for them to think her name is Turner, so they would keep her onboard and not just the gold. It's not an important part of the plot that they let her think she has the upper hand, if at all.
Continuity mistake: Elizabeth holds the medallion chain over the edge of the railing. In the first shot she says, "I'll drop it," the chain dangles down with the excess chain over her fingers. In the front close-up of her arm, only the bottom chain is dangling. In the back close-up of her hand, with Barbossa in the background, the medallion and chain dangle shorter now, with the excess chain over her fingers. This takes place before she says, "There's no point in me keeping it." (00:38:50)
Continuity mistake: Will goes to the fort the morning after the pirate rampage in Port Royal. Will says, "We have to hunt them down. We must save her," and his shirt collar is very crooked. Governor Swann says, "If you have any information concerning..." and in this shot Will's collar and vest are straight. In the following shots the shirt collar is crooked again. (00:41:20)
Continuity mistake: As Will is telling Gov. Swann and the Commodore that Elizabeth has been taken, his right sleeve is folded up broadly to just below his elbow. After Will slams the axe into the map, which should have, if anything, brought the sleeve down, the sleeve is higher and more tightly rolled. (00:41:20 - 00:42:05)
Continuity mistake: Will goes to the fort and pleads with Norrington to find and save Elizabeth. On the table are two distinct feather quills. They're in different positions in the wide shot and in the close-up when Will slams the axe down on the map. Also, in that wide shot, there is a small bottle in front of the quill holder, whereas in the close-up, the small bottle isn't there. (00:41:40)
Continuity mistake: Will runs down the stairs towards Jack's jail cell. At the bottom of the steps there is a desk and chair. When he first comes down, the chair is pushed into the corner of the desk. As Will says, "These are half pin barrel hinges," behind him, the chair is now pulled out. Will then uses that chair to balance the bench for "the right leverage to lift the door free." (00:42:25)
Continuity mistake: Will runs down the stairs at the prison and says, "You! Sparrow!" and Jack responds, "Aye." In the following shots Jack's hair with red ties and the white shirt string, both on his left side, change position, arrangement, or even existence in the wide shots, and close-ups while the two talk. Earlier, after Jack saves drowning Elizabeth, the position of the red scarf around his head differs between shots - note the beads over his eyes. As a matter of fact, the positions of his red scarf ends, strings of beads, bone, etc., in Jack's hair, ALL change in consecutive shots many times throughout the film, from the moment he is first seen on the Jolly Mon, to the moment he makes his dramatic exit. (00:42:25)
Continuity mistake: In the morning, when Will is with Jack at the prison, Will has scratches on his right cheekbone and jawbone and the left side of his forehead. However, after they commandeer the Interceptor, all of Will's scratches are barely even noticeable, but it is STILL the same day. (00:42:30 - 00:52:15)
Continuity mistake: When Jack and Will are under the bridge, and Jack says, "We're going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term," his right cheek is clean. When he turns to ask Will "One question about your business..." there is a broad black smudge running from his right cheek to the right side of his nose. As he turns around after Will's answer and says, "No worries..." his right cheek is again clean, without ever having touched his face. (00:44:35)
Continuity mistake: When Jack and Will are walking under water carrying the boat over their heads, Will steps into a wooden trap with a buoy line attached. The trap is made of wood sticks and in each of these shots the style of the wood sticks is different. In the first shot, Will's foot goes through the top, and is at one side of the rectangle trap and the buoy line is at the other side of the trap. In the next shot, Will looks down into the water at the wooden trap, his foot is in the center of a square wooden trap and the buoy line isn't seen in this shot. In the next wide shot, he's dragging the trap as he's walking under water, and his foot is at the same side as the attached buoy line, which is seen in this shot, on a rectangle trap. The trap is then tied to Dauntless' rudder, and again this trap is styled differently than the trap in the previous shots. This has nothing to do with the angle of the camera. (00:45:25)
Continuity mistake: As Jack and Will are walking under water, holding the boat over their heads, in the interior shot, when the camera pans into the water, Will's right sleeve is covering his right arm, but in the wide shot, Will's right sleeve is rolled up to his elbow. (00:45:25)
Visible crew/equipment: Aboard Dauntless, when Will says, "Here they come," behind him the deck can be seen. Then when the grapnels are being swung over Dauntless' rail by the Marines, very taught lines inches above the deck are seen going through the balusters of the rail leading to Interceptor. The taught lines were not placed by the Marines, only the grapnels, nor were they placed by Will and Jack. As Norrington says, "Set top sails and clear..." those lines going through the balusters aren't in this shot. These lines are the 'real' lines used by the crew's marine-unit for set up of the separation of the two ships. (00:46:50)
Continuity mistake: Interceptor is side by side with Dauntless, in order to capture Jack and Will. Norrington boards Dauntless with three other men following him and in that close-up ON deck, Norrington says, "Search every cabin, every hull, down to the bilges." Yet, in the next shot, Norrington and those three men are actually seen just climbing up the gangplank to Dauntless. (00:46:55)
Continuity mistake: Aboard Interceptor, Will cuts the lines leading to Dauntless with his axe and Interceptor pulls away. As they pull away, the first gangplank falls, knocks into the swivel cannon on the rail of Interceptor, forcing it to now point up. Jack and Will are busy stealing Interceptor. When Jack yells out, "Thank you, Commodore!" the cannon is turned straight around again. The first shot was part of the mishap during filming, as noted in another mistake. (00:47:05)
Deliberate mistake: After Will and Jack swing aboard Interceptor, Will cuts four lines from the belaying pins on Interceptor, that lead up to Dauntless and each line snaps back. As Interceptor pulls away though, we see other lines that are still connected to Dauntless, but then the shot cuts away. Because of a mishap during filming, it was the only shot Director, Gore Verbinski had of Interceptor pulling away from Dauntless. (00:47:05)
Visible crew/equipment: Just after Will cuts the lines from the Interceptor to the Dauntless, the Interceptor is shown leaving. The next shot is of the back wood plank between the ships falling away. On the deck of the Interceptor, behind the railing, on the right of the screen, is a crew member ducking down, so as not to be seen by the camera. (00:47:10)
