Visible crew/equipment: Just as Dennis Weaver goes back into the Diner after splashing his face with water in the washroom, you can see the shadow of the camera man, complete with camera on his shoulder, silhouetted on the back of his shirt and on the wall.
Continuity mistake: During the entire movie each time the camera pans on the car's speedometer, the odometer clearly show completely different numbers in the cars mileage which are thousands of miles apart.
Visible crew/equipment: When David Mann stops off at the reptile lady's place, he enters a phone booth to call the police. When he's inside, you can see a perfect reflection of Spielberg. Look how young he looks.
Continuity mistake: As David Mann starts fuming at the guy who he thinks is the trucker, the first shot shows him taking a sip of his beer; it is almost empty. As he says "What are you talkin' about?" its almost up to the brim.
Continuity mistake: There are moments in the film, notably during the railroad and pushing sequence where the car's appearance - such as being dirty or clean, changes somewhat; the truck changes during that sequence as well. (The film was first broadcast on TV, then later released to theatres, and the push sequence was specifically filmed for the theatrical release. An identical '71 Plymouth Valiant was used, but a very different truck.)
Visible crew/equipment: The shadow of the camera can be seen on the left side of the screen, after David takes his seat at Chuck's Cafe.
Visible crew/equipment: At the gas station, just before the water is sprayed on the windscreen and the attendant first appears, if you look closely at the top right hand corner of the screen you can see a reflection (albeit for a split second) of a hand giving the cue for the action to begin. Was this Steven Spielberg's hand?
Continuity mistake: When David Mann is at the service station, window cleaner is sprayed on his windshield from the driver's side (camera shot from inside the car). Within a milli-second of the spray stopping, the service attendant is seen on the passenger side of the car. We are only shown one attendant at this station.
Continuity mistake: When David Mann crashes his car against the truck near the end of the movie, the car's frontal bodywork inexplicably returns as brand new in one shot and back smashed again.
Continuity mistake: When David Mann is flagged down by the bus driver, the window of the rear driver's side door is up. After Mann's 'just bounce it loose' speech, the window is down and remains down for the rest of the scene.
Continuity mistake: When David Mann is at the cafe, the waitress brings over his sandwich and water. He immediately drinks all of the water, yet when the shot changes to above the table, of him looking at his sandwich, the glass of water is completely full again.
Suggested correction: There is an empty glass next to the full glass.
The mistake is valid. David drank all his water before getting his food and asked the waitress for another glass of water and aspirin. She then brought him the food, aspirin, and 2nd glass of water. He drinks all the water after taking the aspirin and sets the empty glass down. In the next shot he's holding a glass with water. There should be two empty glasses.
Continuity mistake: After the incident where the truck driver told David Mann to pass, when there was a car coming the other way, watch the rear view mirror, it changes angles in the following shots.
Visible crew/equipment: Near the end of the film, while Dennis Weaver is finally starting to get a good lead on the truck, the top of director Steven Spielberg's head is visible in the reflection of the back seat in the rear-view mirror.
Continuity mistake: In the first scenes when Weaver first encountered the truck he is pictured in various states of seatbelt wearing. In some scenes it's down and across, in others nothing.
Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the movie where David begins to take advantage over the truck driver, and he turns on right towards the climb also breaking the cartels and fences, the weather changes in two shots: it's cloudy before and sunny immediately after.
Continuity mistake: Throughout the movie, there is a family picture that disappears and reappears on the driver's side sun visor.
Continuity mistake: While David is sitting at the table in Chuck's Cafe, the ashtray is unused, but moves around the table several times. Cutlery changes position too, in two different shots.
