Character mistake: In the opening scene, Donnie the spotter gives the range to the the truck as "870 yards and closing." It cannot be "closing" as the camera angle through the scope shows the vehicle driving right to left but definitely diagonally away from them, not toward them. This is further reinforced because the adjusted range for where they choose to take the shot is given as 900 yards. (00:03:45)
Suggested correction: I think "closing" here means closing in on the US convoy not necessarily actually getting closer to the snipers themselves.
Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the film when Swagger and Donnie begin fighting insurgents, Donnie spots an enemy officer in a yellow jacket with a radio behind a red truck and Swagger shoots him down. Shortly afterwards we see this same commander alive, exiting the red truck and taking cover. (00:05:15)
Factual error: When the Ethiopian Archbishop is killed you hear the gun go off and the Archbishop dies almost immediately, but as Swagger also points out, the hang time would actually be around 5 to 6 seconds (and it would take the sound up to 11 seconds to travel that far). Which means that, when we see it from the gun's point of view, there should be quite a long wait for him to get hit. (00:27:55)
Continuity mistake: When Swagger is in the stolen FBI car at the assumed end of the car wash, we hear the wheels "peeling out" and the scene shows the back of the car, wet. Then, the scene quickly changes to the FBI car speeding out of the car wash completely dry with just a little water on the windows. (00:32:00 - 00:33:00)
Other mistake: When Michael Pena is looking at the photo of Swagger after winning the Wimbledon Cup, it identified Swagger as "Sgt Major Bob Lee Swagger, USMC, from Gillette, WY." Two things are wrong: (1) Swagger is wearing civvies, if he's in the Corps, he should be wearing his uniform; and, (2) Swagger is supposed to be a Gunnery Sgt, not a Sgt Major. (00:44:20)
Revealing mistake: When the police dog wants to attack Swagger and bites the cop instead, it's obvious the cop wears thick protection under his coat sleeve. (01:03:20)
Continuity mistake: When Memphis is taken hostage his telephone falls on the middle of the sidewalk. In the next shot it lies on the edge. (01:06:30)
Continuity mistake: When Memphis is tortured, he gets water poured in his mouth from a bottle. When they're done pouring, the water level in the bottle is almost full. (01:07:00)
Suggested correction: Before this frame, there is a shot showing multiple water bottles on a nearby table... it could easily have been the next bottle of water?
No, it could not because the shot was meant to be continuous. After Memphis spits out the water, we see the guy holding a half filled bottle start pouring water into Memphis' mouth. When the camera angle changes (i.e. continuous shot and not a jump cut), we still see the guy holding the bottle up to Memphis' mouth. It's at that point the bottle has changed and is now almost full.
It's even worse than that. It refills at least twice between those quick successive shots.
Revealing mistake: When Swagger is going to see the Russian sniper, the bait, he takes out one of the guards with a wire around the neck. The only problem here is that the wire isn't even close to the guard's neck. (01:26:10)
Factual error: Right after the 'trap' for Swagger, two soldiers enter the house with Swagger waiting for them on the inside. Swagger shoots the first one twice, but after wrestling with the 2nd one for a bit, Swagger shoots through the safety helmet to kill the 2nd soldier. This would be impossible since these helmets are made to withstand much tougher weapons that a 9mm Beretta. What's even worse is that the blood comes out on the other side, meaning that the bullet pierced the helmet twice. (01:31:40)
Continuity mistake: When Swagger kills the senator, he uses the last bullet in the magazine, this is seen by the gun slide being locked back. If there had been more bullets it would have reloaded and gone back to the original position. However a millisecond later, in the next clip the gun has been reloaded. (01:58:50 - 01:59:55)
Factual error: When Swagger is fleeing from the police in the car wash after being shot, the radio says that he is at a car wash at 9th and Girard. There is no such intersection. On Girard Ave, 9th street picks up south and north of that street.
Continuity mistake: Swagger was shot in the upper right chest and lower right abdomen, making him limp badly. When the teacher stitches him up, there is only the bullet hole in his chest. He also miraculously recovers immediately.
Continuity mistake: Mark Wahlberg cuts through the back seat to get access to medical supplies in the boot - other stuff is visible in there too. But shortly afterwards when he reverses it into the water, the boot pops open and it's now completely empty.
Continuity mistake: In the very beginning of the film when Swagger takes out the enemy's truck approaching friendly troops, the truck flips over onto its side and two pieces of the truck spill out onto the road, yet when the friendly troops approach/pass it the objects are nowhere to be seen.
Continuity mistake: In the beginning where Bob and Donnie are watching over the road waiting for the returning troops, the bolt of the M40 rifle Bob has at the ready is closed. In the shot right after Donnie pulls out the picture of Sara, the bolt is shown open, but appears not to be fully open. In the next shot of the rifle, the bolt is again closed. We do not hear the bolt, nor would a sniper at the ready fumble with an arm at the ready.
Other mistake: In the beginning of the film where the truck with the machine gunner and the driver is shot, the truck goes out of the road and falls over, but there is no machine gunner falling of the cargo area nor is there any driver falling out from the truck.
Continuity mistake: Close to the end the movie, when the helicopter Danny Glover is in is approaching, we see a reflection in its high gloss paint: mountains, snow, rocks. When it lands, the paint is matte blue, no reflection. We would have seen the camera crew easily if it had still been glossy.
Factual error: When Swagger is about ready to shoot the can of stew he is using a CheyTac .408 with a muzzle break about 8 feet from his dog. At that range it would destroy the dog's hearing.
Continuity mistake: Approximately 3 minutes into the film, the scene cuts from Bobby Lee Swagger and his scouter to the U.S. Camp in Ethiopia, you can see a truck pulling into the camp, if you watch closely from the beginning of this scene to the following overhead shot, there are a few changes, the U.S. flag on top of the camouflaged tent disappears, there are twice as many red barrels at the entrance to the camp than in the previous shot.
