Continuity mistake: Just after Ben mentions Montesquieu to the French policeman, the other policeman's head changes position between shots. (00:21:55)
Continuity mistake: During the London car chase scene, Nicolas Cage throws the wooden artifact from the car into the river. The bad guys in the Range Rover then stop, colliding with some roadworks, although in the next shot the car is suddenly a few metres away. (00:42:30 - 00:43:00)
Factual error: When the group comes to Mount Rushmore, they arrive at a lake. There is no lake close to Mount Rushmore (look at Google Maps, the lake used is Sylvan Lake, which is a good 15 miles away from Mount Rushmore). Mount Rushmore is suppose to be a "cover up" for the final treasure and that would make the chamber underneath the faces itself. (01:27:05)
Suggested correction: The story-line states that Mt. Rushmore was created to hide the clues to the treasure, not hold the actual treasure.
But they climbed over Mt Rushmore to view the lake which is in a different direction.
Continuity mistake: Mitch Wilkinson jumps to a hanging ladder in the hidden chamber at Mount Rushmore, the first shot shows him hanging off the ladder with a pistol holster through his belt loops. The shot cuts away and when it returns there is no pistol holster where there was seconds earlier. (01:36:00)
Factual error: Whenever Riley gets into his Ferrari, he makes a gesture implying that he is engaging reverse via a gearstick, followed by a grinding sound. However the Ferrari he is driving uses a trip-tronic gearbox and the paddles are visible in the shot. (01:57:10)
Factual error: Ben, Abigail and Riley arrive at the Library of Congress to take the President's Book very late at night. However the Library of Congress, despite being shown as open, consistently closes at 5 PM.
Continuity mistake: At the end of National Treasure 1, Riley has a Ferrari 360 Spider. At the beginning of Book of Secrets, when his car is being towed away, it's a Ferrari F430 Spider. At the end of the movie, he is given back a 360 Spider.
Plot hole: The idea that Ben Gates had to run away despite the President's being okay with the kidnapping does not make sense. The President could simply pardon him if necessary. However, when he ran away, he would likely be committing other crimes (fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, etc.) that would not be federal crimes and so would not be pardonable.
Suggested correction: That's basically what he did at the end. Even though the President was OK with Ben "kidnapping" him, if Ben didn't find the lost city of gold he would have been arrested and charged for kidnapping the President (amongst other charges). However, because Ben was able to find the city the President gave him and his crew a full pardon and explained that it was a misunderstanding.
Plot hole: In order for the treasure trail to be followed both desks would need to have existed in 1865 when the code was deciphered. However HMS Resolute wasn't broken up and made into desks until 1879.
Suggested correction: In the movie, the code-written in the 1860s-leads to Laboulaye's lady, which was already conceptualised in 1865. The statue, which was theoretically inscribed after the Resolute wreck was made into desks, then points to them.
Revealing mistake: In the scenes where Riley is using his computer to look up information on the "SearchInfo" site, the screenshot used is of Wikipedia. (You can even see the "About Wikipedia" link on the left).
Factual error: At the beginning of the film, John Wilkes Booth is seen departing the tavern and arriving at Ford's Theater by horse. The tavern is actually right next to the theater.
Continuity mistake: During the car chase in London, when you see from inside the car, you can't see any of the glass at the bottom on the rear window, but when you see the car from the outside there is a significant portion of the glass left.
Visible crew/equipment: In the last scene when Riley Poole is walking to his home and spots his Ferrari that was repossessed, when the camera tracking shot stops, in the reflection on the side of the car you can see the camera and the camera track reflected in the door of the Ferrari.
Continuity mistake: During the scene where they encounter the beer truck in the alley, they are driving towards it, but in the next shot the car is the other way and are driving away from it.
Revealing mistake: When water is breaking through the wall you can see that at times the water is going through preformed squares.
Revealing mistake: In the scene where the barrels of beer are rolling off the truck, you can notice small squibs going off to make the barrels look like they have been shot.
Factual error: After Ben kidnaps the President he calls and tells Riley to meet him at the Library of Congress in twenty minutes. Traveling from Mount Vernon to the Library of Congress in ten minutes is NOT possible. Even in the middle of the night with no traffic it would take a MINIMUM of 30 minutes to make that trip.
Factual error: When inside the Oval Office, we look out through the windows to the left of the desk (towards the East) and see bushes and trees right outside the windows. But on that side of the oval office there is a covered patio with columns, and it is quite dark.
Plot hole: When the characters are trying to escape Cibola through the central drain, the drain is actually, as Ben and Patrick imply, really just a room which dead ends, and they have to open the door to keep it from filling up. If this were the case, the entire city of Cibola and the room above (where Ben first says that all the water goes out somewhere) would have been completely filled up with water over the centuries. But in the movie the water had apparently been draining through that central "drain."
Continuity mistake: Many beer kegs fall from the truck, yet the number remaining on the truck barely goes down from shot to shot.
