Factual error: In one scene, Frank talks to his nephew about missing a meeting with Billy Martin and the New York Yankees. Martin didn't become the Yankees' manager until 1975, after this scene takes place.
Continuity mistake: When Russell Crowe and the other cop are chasing a crook through a hotel room, Crowe gets pinched in a doorway by the crook with the door. The crook starts to bite Crowe's hand, so Crowe signals the other cop to smash the crook's head through the door with a mallet. When the cop does, he uses the handle end, and in the next shot, when he's pulling the mallet out back through the door, it's coming out with the hammer-head end first.
Suggested correction: This is incorrect. The mallet goes through the door handle first, then the door opens and we see the mallet end.
Factual error: When Frank goes in the Chinese place to get the car keys from his driver, he looks up the street and sees a car turning onto another street. The car looks to be a late 80s to early 90s SUV, probably a Dodge Durango, judging by the headlights and foglights.
Factual error: When a character is on a pay phone, in the background there is a sedan and two full-size vans that are from the 90s decade, not when the movie is set.
Continuity mistake: During the big drug bust, Russell Crowe pursues a suspect down a hallway and then down a fire escape. Along the way, he cocks the shotgun multiple times.
Continuity mistake: In the car-follow scene in which Russell Crowe yells at the cop driving their car to follow a car into NYC, in outside shots, the car they're in is a Cadillac. But in shots from the interior, the nameplate on the dashboard says it's a Ford Torino.
Factual error: The camera pans from the opening of the subway tunnel to Lucas' street corner, which is shown to be on the intersection of 116th Street and 8th Avenue (in green with white lettering). This is impossible, as the Manhattan Valley Viaduct, which carries the IRT Broadway-7th Avenue Line, spans from 122nd to 135th streets, and does not do so on 8th Avenue. While there is a subway line under 8th Avenue by 116th Street (IND 8th Avenue Line), it is all underground and no such opening exists. Also, the viaduct closes several blocks north of 116th street, therefore you should not see any tracks. The corner that you see is actually W 135th Street and Broadway, as the viaduct exists only on Broadway in Manhattan. Also, the signs are green with white lettering. This was not so in the 60s-70s, as in the entire borough of Manhattan during this period, street signs were yellow with black lettering.
Factual error: At one point, Frank Lucas is speaking on a public telephone. Visible in the background is a poster with a web address on it (ends in .biz).
Revealing mistake: When the C130 is taxing on the runway (just ahead of the police search of the plane) you can see a C-17 in the background. The C-17 only made its maiden flight in 1991.
Continuity mistake: In the opening scene, just after the man is set afire he falls to the ground. Frank shoots him and while firing his weapon jams. A casing is stuck in the ejection port (called a stovepipe when it happens). After the round sticks he continues to pull the trigger and the weapon continues to fire.
Factual error: At the start of the movie, as Bumpy and Frank enter an electronics store, Bumpy mentions Toshiba products. However, the company was, in 1969, named Tokyo Shibaura, and the name wasn't changed to Toshiba until 1978.
Continuity mistake: In the first minute of movie beginning, the man on the chair has blood on his clothes, then when Denzel Washington wanted to burn him the blood has gone.
Continuity mistake: In the final scene where Frank Lucas is released, an extra comes into the shot from the right while the gate behind him is opening. Then it goes to a wide shot and the same extra walks into the frame from the right again as the gate is closing.
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the movie, when Richie stops by Joey Sadano's house for the last time, he exits the car with snowflakes flying. He even shivers and warms himself walking up to the house. Inside the house the snowflakes are still flying outside Joey's back window, yet the entire backdrop shows a lush landscape full of green trees in mid-summer glory.
Factual error: In law school, Richie Roberts is asked to take the prosecution's side on US vs Mead. The actual case, United States v. Mead Corp. was not argued in the Supreme Court until November 2000.
Revealing mistake: When the cops bust the lab where the dope is cut they push a big man in a white T-shirt. The blood pack on his back is very noticeable.
Continuity mistake: When Bumpy enters the shop the amount of people outside changes at least three times.
Revealing mistake: When the man is set afire he is very obviously covered in fireproof gel.
Factual error: Early the movie, the maroon 1972 Monte Carlo at the intersection in the background is sporting wheels from a 1984 IROC Camaro Z28.
Factual error: When Ritchie was following the driver with $20k into NYC, the scene shows the GWB entrance heading to NJ.
