Continuity mistake: After Danny tells Jessep to sit back down on the witness stand and the judge is telling Danny how to address Jessep, he pours himself a glass of water. From the shot where his back is towards us he puts the pitcher down. We then see a shot in front of him and he is putting the pitcher down again. (01:56:00 - 01:58:00)
Factual error: The crime occurs on Friday, September 6 and the next week, as Kaffee and Weinberg are walking to Weinberg's house and discussing leaving for Cuba the next morning, the ground is covered with leaves and the trees are in full fall color. This doesn't occur in the second (or even the third week) of September in the Washington, D.C./Virginia area. This scene was shot much later, toward the end of October or early November, but it's supposedly well before trial, which is held in early October.
Other mistake: When Danny, Sam and Jo arrive on Guantanamo Bay Naval base, they are met by the driver who recommends they put on camouflage jackets so their dress whites won't be spotted by Cuban snipers distinguishing them as high ranking targets.They comply and as you see them drive away, right there on the top of their heads, bright white dress hats can be seen clear as day. While it's against regulations to remove hats outside, it's also against regulations to cover dress whites, so a half-assed measure is an odd choice.
Suggested correction: The white shirt with shoulder boards are proper for officers, and a sniper would recognize the target as one. White hats are worn both by marines and sailors of all ranks, and from a distance, the differences may be not so easy to spot.
Continuity mistake: When Daniel and Sam first meet Dawson and Downey, Sam asks Dawson about the shooting across the defense line into Cuba. As he asks the question, the camera view is from the side and he crosses his arms. The next shot in front of him and his arms are by his side.
Continuity mistake: When Danny asks for his bat and Jo (Demi Moore)says she put it in the closet, her elbows are on the table with her hands clasped. She then breaks them and puts the right one on the table. The next shot shows her and Danny and her elbows are on the table again with her hand clasped.
Continuity mistake: Tom Cruise is sitting in the court room with his hands under the table. Quickly he moves them to the top of the table as he stands up. You see the glimmer of a wedding ring (when his character is single) and then the ring is gone. (01:08:00)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the arraignment there is a full view of the courtroom and Jo is standing on an angle looking at Danny. The next shot is from the front of them and she's standing straight square at the table.
Continuity mistake: When Jack Ross finishes his opening statement by saying, "And when we get to the end.", you hear a brief pause, but if you look at his jaw it is still moving and the words are now out of sync with his mouth.
Character mistake: When LTJG Kaffee says "whatever happened to saluting an officer when he leaves the room?" It's well known that Kaffee doesn't know much about military protocols, but Marines and Sailors do not salute while uncovered, especially indoors. Army/Air Force maybe, but not the Navy or Marine Corps.
Continuity mistake: When the two lawyers are in the bar, you see a woman in a green dress with a watch pass behind the lawyer who's not Tom Cruise. After it cuts back shortly later, you see the same woman going the same direction.
Continuity mistake: When Joanne comes to ask Danny why he has not yet seen his clients, he is just about to swing the bat, and begins to as the shot switches to her face. However, in the very next shot he's standing with the bat, waiting to swing again. The time between the two shots would not have provided adequate time for him to swing and then be waiting for another throw.
Continuity mistake: When Danny walks into the courtroom, just before the beginning of the case, if you look at Dawson's parents his father is standing up and mother sitting down. The shot changes to a view of the parents talking to Danny and both are standing up.
Visible crew/equipment: During the first credits, when the name Kevin Bacon appears on-screen there's a close-up shot of a bayonet. A white screen used for lighting and filming is perfectly visible reflected on the metal.
Continuity mistake: When Markinson gets in Lt. Caffey's car you can see his baseball glove on the back window ledge. Then in subsequent shots the glove sometimes missing.
Continuity mistake: During the scene at Gitmo while they are having lunch, the opening camera shot shows Col. Jessup and Lt. Kendrick sitting beside each other, almost touching shoulders. But in the next shot from behind Jessup, there is about a 2 or 3 foot space on his left side.
Character mistake: After Dawson and Lt. Caffey have their heated argument Lt. Caffey storms out of the interrogation room. He stops at the door and asks Dawson why he isn't saluting a superior officer leaving the room. The fuming Dawson gets up and defiantly jabs his hands in his pockets. Dawson is actually following correct procedures. Military prisoners are not allowed to salute anyone.
Suggested correction: This is more a mistake on Lt. Caffey's part, whether deliberate or not. He knows that Dawson should not salute him, but he wants to make a point about outranking Dawson.
Marines are not allowed to put their hands in their pockets; it is against regulations. Dawson doing so is a major "screw you" to Caffey and the regs in general.
Remember Daniel Kaffee is a Navy lawyer of very limited military experience. He may well have thought he was to be saluted as he left the room. Corporal Dawson, being a Marine would know this wasn't required, so the hands in the pockets is definitely an act of defiance.
Continuity mistake: When Kaffee drives up to the newsstand at night and buys his magazine and chats with the news vendor, his tie knot is undone down to the second button on his shirt. When he returns to his car and is startled by Markinson in the back seat, his tie is undone only a bit past the first button, much higher than the previous shot. This is largely due, Director Rob Reiner explains, to the fact that part of the scene was shot in D.C. and part of the scene was shot in L.A.
