Other mistake: When Anthony Anderson is shot in the head towards the end of the film, you can see him still breathing as he lays on the ground.
Suggested correction: It's unsettling, but sometimes a lethal head wound leaves the base of the brain that controls autonomic functions like heart beat and breathing intact. These victims may wheeze, bleed profusely, or even convulse vigorously for several minutes before expiring.
Continuity mistake: At the very last shot of the movie, taken from inside Sullivan's apartment, the Massachusetts State House appears to be quite closer than in other shots from the apartment - e.g. when Sullivan first rents it.
Suggested correction: This isn't a mistake. It is a framing scene using angled lenses to make the dome loom larger in the shot for poignancy. The whole point is to show both the close Rat and the far off dome in shot together in focus. Saying it is a mistake is not a fair judgement of the scene as it's not like they could have moved either of the buildings.
Deliberate mistake: In all the shoot-outs, the bullets that hit the cars spark, which bullets do not do, and leave no hole, dent, or even a small scratch. They do, however, break the glass.
Suggested correction: This isn't correct. In the big shootout towards the end, gunshots leave holes in car doors and break car windows from both sides of the fight.
Continuity mistake: When Frank asks for "numbers", Madolyn is moving into the apartment. In the next scene, when Costigan and Madolyn "get together" she is shown as moving out, but it seems that Costigan was giving his numbers then leaving the hideout to go get with Madolyn.
Suggested correction: I don't understand why this is a mistake. People often take multiple trips when moving. Especially as she says she is keeping stuff at her old apartment due to having three weeks left on the lease. Also, if Costigan is leaving to meet up with her, why is this a mistake. She is his only friend, what is wrong with him wanting to meet with her?
Factual error: When Costigan takes the Dr. Smith-prescribed Oxycontin tablets, the tablets are incorrectly shown as large, white oblong pills with the prescription bottle just labeled 'Oxycontin'. In reality oxycontin tablets are small, round, various colored pills (dependent on mg dose) with the dosage number (in mg) imprinted on one side of the tablet as 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 160 (I believe 160 mg tabs are discontinued) and the opposite side imprinted as OC or OP. Also, the dose (in mg) would have been printed on the front bottle label.
Suggested correction: She doesn't give him oxytocin. She gives him antidepressants. Also, medication is not uniform, different companies make medicine in different forms.
Factual error: When Costello throws the cocaine powder and says "Want some coke? Don't stop till you're numb" the pupils in his eyes are constricted. Cocaine, being a stimulant, dilates your pupils. Constricted pupils occurs with opiates - narcotic analgesic.
Suggested correction: It isn't Costello taking the coke. He throws it on the ladies.
Factual error: When the MSP close in on Costello in Sheffield, they come in silently but still have their parking lights on. Pretty useless if you're "sneaking up" to a drug bust. Secondly, patrol officers don't have automatic weapons, as shown in the shootout.
Suggested correction: The parking lights thing isn't so useless. They're so close at the point we see them; anyone on lookout would see them whether they had their parking lights on or not. And it might be that those cars don't have a setting for no lights. My car doesn't; it only has a toggle for parking lights / headlights. No off.
Character mistake: During the funeral at the end before the 21 gun salute, the NCOIC called for "half left face", that would cause everyone to get shot in the face.
Suggested correction: Half-left face means a 45° left turn (left face is a 90° turn), so wouldn't result in anyone getting shot.
