Continuity mistake: When D-Fens abandons his car in the traffic jam, the window had been rolled down just a few inches before the handle broke. A moment later, when Detective Prendergast is helping the cop push the car off the road, the window is rolled down all the way. (00:04:20)
Continuity mistake: After the struggle between D-Fens and the Korean store owner, a box of raisin bran and a box of maxi-pads can be seen lined up on the bottom shelf. D-Fens then whacks the shelf with the baseball bat, causing the two boxes to become angled and askew. The store owner says, "Take the money." and in the next shot the boxes are properly lined up again. (00:10:10)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens attacks the Oriental shopkeeper he puts his foot on the shopkeeper's neck and his socks are clearly visible as white. However, a few minutes later when he removes his shoe to examine a hole in it on the hill, before being confronted by the two homeboys - his socks have somehow changed to black. (00:10:20 - 00:18:15)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens meets with the two gang members, watch the gangsters positions as they stop walking. They are standing close to each other as one of them says, "I'm not laughing." The other says, "I'm not either," and they are suddenly standing about six feet apart from each other in the next shot, even though the dialogue overlaps the shots. (00:18:30)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens is being shot at in the drive by and the car drives away, you can clearly see the driver pull the steering wheel left, while the car goes right. (00:27:20)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where D-Fens was going to get on the bus, there is a young black woman seen standing at the end of the bench clad in a lavender tank top, and is later seen getting on board. D-fens changes his mind and turns around and walks. She is later seen in MacArthur Park dancing with a small band. (00:32:50 - 00:36:40)
Continuity mistake: When William is waiting to board the bus, there is a black man in a red shirt standing several feet away. When the shot cuts, the red shirted man is instantly standing right behind Will. (00:32:55)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens is in Whammyburger, there are two spots on the right shoulder of his shirt that keep disappearing, reappearing, and changing positions. (00:41:15 - 00:44:30)
Continuity mistake: In the fast food scene, one bald guy wants to get out of the place and D-Fens stops him. In the next scene, the same bald guy appears in a Mexican restaurant with different clothes. (00:43:15 - 00:45:45)
Continuity mistake: At the fast food scene, when D-Fens takes his burger, it's wrapped with a paper, when he turns around to speak to the customers, the paper is gone. (00:45:20)
Continuity mistake: During the scene where D-Fens buys a snowglobe for his daughter the man clearly wraps it in paper. Later on, when D-Fens is at the army surplus store and the man goes through his bag, he pulls the snowglobe out with absolutely no paper on it. (00:49:00 - 01:04:10)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens puts the phone booth out of order, a boy in the background is obviously shocked so deeply that he falls off his bike twice. (00:50:10)
Continuity mistake: When D-Fens' wife realises that D-Fens is just down the road, calling her, she locks the white gate in front of her house. She then walks back into the house. But when D-Fens comes running after her, the gate is wide open. (01:28:45 - 01:30:05)
Continuity mistake: When Douglas is watching the video of his wife and kid on the pier her eye make-up is running through her tears of fear. It cuts back to Douglas then back to her, the make-up has gone. It would be hard for her to wipe her eye as she is holding the girl with both hands. (01:35:35)
Continuity mistake: During the showdown on the pier, a Richard Marx poster over the skull graffiti disappears. (01:38:00 - 01:39:44)
Continuity mistake: During part of the filming, Michael Douglas had a cold sore. This is visible off and on during the movie, reflecting the sequence of filming, not the story sequence.
Continuity mistake: When D-fens is in his car at the start of the movie, his seatbelt is on when we see him from behind but when it cuts to the front view, his belt is off.
Continuity mistake: The sky changes several times during the sequence when the two thugs want Defens' briefcase.
Continuity mistake: When the gangbangers wreck their car after the drive by shooting, the gun changes position on the ground, the gym bag changes position, and some debris is missing between cuts.
Chosen answer: Because the beggar thought there would be items of value in the briefcase and he was frustrated that there was nothing in there. So in frustration he threw the apple at D-Fens.
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