Other mistake: In a whole lot of scenes, Bob closes both his eyes when he fires his sniper rifle. This is a common and natural reaction when an inexperienced shooter fires a gun. An experienced hunter or marksman would never do that, and especially not a military sniper.
Factual error: When FBI agent Memphis is reviewing the assassination on video, you can hear the shot first and then see the blood spray of the bullet impact on the Archbishop. This defies physics as bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. Given the distance the sniper shot from, the sound of the shot would be be heard a second or 2 after the impact.
Suggested correction: At that range the bullet has a long travel time and the buildings around the target would amplify the sound of the gunshot. Notice the sound exactly as the bullet hits, that's the travel time allowing for catch up as the bullet had to fall in order to travel that distance.
Factual error: Bob and Nick engage in a shootout in Lynchburg Virgina at night (according to FBI Howard), - although based on the day lighting it'd have been late afternoon - then call him from Bozeman, Montana, next day, around 1 p.m. based on the shadows, standing in front of the very same Dodge pickup. Even allowing for the passage of 18 hours, they would have had to average over 119 mph, not allowing for fuel stops, to get there.
Suggested correction: Howard's team didn't find the shoot out mess until a day before Memphis reach Montana. There's always 3 sides to every story your side my side and the truth. In other word detective work is not 100% accurate more like 60% to 70%. How Howard accuses Memphis of the right action but wrong details (time of day) is actually realistic. Cops do this on purpose because correcting the Cop is a confession to the crime. Nick only says he doesn't know who can be trusted. Howard gets mad.
Continuity mistake: During the opening sequence of the film, Bob fires at the helicopter with his M82, and the helicopter is seen doing a strafing run over Bob, and both of the mounted 50 cal machine guns disappear from the helicopter.
Visible crew/equipment: About half way through the film when they go to see the old gun smith, as they get out of the truck and just after Swagger says "welcome to Tennessee, the patron state of shooting stuff" and closes the truck door, you can see a reflection of someone holding a board or something in the wing mirror.
Plot hole: When Agent Memphis is about to be executed they ask him if he needs to "Piss" so as to not have government-used drugs in his system before he commits suicide. They even mention writing a suicide note for him. He's had seven shades beaten out of him though and was kidnapped whilst on the phone, mid-conversation and with possible witnesses. Surely if it wasn't the first time they had done this then they would have taken more care to make sure it wasn't a complete fake-out.
Other mistake: When Swagger is dialing in his sight to shoot the Denty Moore stew he is dialing in the windage but they show the elevation moving.
Character mistake: When Donnie (spotter) is giving Swagger ranges to fire, he doesn't tell Swagger what hold to use.
Other mistake: If you look at the license plate on the government car that mark Wahlburg is driving, they are not government plates but regular Pennsylvania license plates. The next scene the driver tells the FBI guy that they are government plates which they are not.
Character mistake: Spotters never say 'Fire' when ready, instead "Send it".
Factual error: Camp Lemonier is placed in Djibouti, not in Ethiopia.
Factual error: It is stated that Colonel Johnson cannot be charged because the crime was committed outside the United States. The movie is treating him like he is a regular American citizen when he is in a fact a military member. All active military members, like the colonel, are subject to uniformed military code of justice no matter where the crime was committed. Anyone who attempted to prevent the colonel from being charged would be arrested.
Suggested correction: Crimes are evaluated on a crime per crime basis - Military courts have exclusive authority over all crimes considered purely military crimes which include sedition, failure to obey an order, or insubordinate conduct, among others. However, most crimes violate both civilian and military law and in those cases it may be tried by a military court, a civilian court or both. In this case, this would have fallen under International Law and could be tried by civilian courts although I believe it would be tried by the Hague as crimes against humanity.
Continuity mistake: The scene where Sarah is changing Bob Lee Swagger’s wound dressing. As she removes the old dressing her hair is half pulled back and very sleek/straight looking. Cut to Swagger as you hear her rip the tape. In the next shot she is applying the tape to the gauze and her hair is now completely down and very wavy.
Continuity mistake: In the scene on the mountain top, Sarah picks up the senator's Beretta and shoots Payne. She fires 4 shots and then you see the slide lock back. When the angle changes the Beretta's slide is closed. Even if she closed it in the half second the gun is not visible, that would have been audible.
Revealing mistake: In the stolen FBI black car Mark Wahlberg is driving over the guardrail into the river the trunk flies open, revealing the inside of the car trunk. The mistake is that everything inside the trunk has been stripped out including the carpet because the car is going to be in the water for the film.
Factual error: In the mountain scene, Wahlberg shoots a sniper through the scope. This is a common myth in Hollywood. Tested by Mythbusters. It is impossible to shoot up a sniper scope due to the amount of glass and the thickness and angles of said glass. The bullet is deflected, even at point-blank range.
Factual error: In the movie the senator cannot be charged for the conspiracy because the crime took place outside the United States. In reality, the senator would be charged with conspiracy regardless of where the actual crime took place. Simply being overseas does not give an American citizen immunity.
Continuity mistake: When Swagger is fixing himself up in the FBI car, the amount of blood behind him keeps changing from shot to shot.
Factual error: During the mountain ambush scene, Agent Memphis gets shot while wearing a steel plate. In reality, he probably would've been seriously injured if not killed by the fragments (called "spall" or "spalling") of the bullet when it hit the plate.
Continuity mistake: When Bob is preparing to shoot, the bolt for the rifle is out, but in the next shot, it is closed.
