Continuity mistake: When the bathroom explodes, from one angle we see the toilet come sailing out over the roof of a police truck parked at the front of the house. While the angles make it a bit tricky to judge, there's a definite leftward trajectory. We then cut to a closeup of Murtaugh's car, and the toilet lands on it as if it was flying to the right. Even if the angles are misleading, in the first shot the police truck and other cars are parked to the right of the exploding window. In the shot of Roger's car he's also parked to the right, but without all the cars visible around it which there should be. (00:57:15)
Suggested correction: The toilet is flying straight out and straight towards the car - you can see this from the perspective of the interior of the car prior to the toilet becoming visible. Next the toilet is flying towards the area in front of the police van, not over it. And the car is parked in front of the van. When we see the car again, the van and other police cars are out of frame, so they can't be seen.
The mistake is valid. When we see the toilet flying, it's moving to the viewer's left, but when it hits the car, it's moving to the viewer's right now. Even if in the first shot, with the angle of the camera, the toilet is flying straight, it doesn't hit the car straight on. And he's not saying the toilet sails over the roof, but that you can see the toilet in the background is above the roof of the van in the foreground and that's moving over it (from right to left).
Continuity mistake: When Rika comes to Riggs' trailer he offers her a chair, and she sits down twice in different camera angles. (01:07:50)
Suggested correction: This is too subtle to be called a mistake - she's in the process of sitting when she's facing the camera, the shot changes to behind her and she's seen finishing her settling into the chair - this could just as well be her making a natural adjustment to her sitting position. It's not an obvious mistake by any means.
Continuity mistake: When Rika sits down outside of Riggs' place, the front of the trailer is half shaded by the sunroof. When the camera angle changes the shade is gone, and it's much brighter. (01:07:50)
Suggested correction: This entry is only half right - the "sunroof" or awning is visible from both camera angles, though it's true that the sun is lower and is lighting more under the awning when the camera moves inside the trailer.
Continuity mistake: After inviting Rika to his trailer, Riggs walks inside and opens his fridge to get a beer. On top of the TV nearby is a VCR. Flash forward to the helicopter attack scene where Rika and Riggs are about to escape through Sam's doggy door. Here you can see there's no longer any VCR on the TV set. (01:14:20 - 01:24:15)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Murtaugh is shooting his attackers with the nail gun the walls are apparently covered with super plastic. How is it that the plastic sheeting is light enough for the bad guy to punch through, but is able to support the weight of his corpse by a single nail when Murtaugh shoots him through the plastic? Wouldn't the plastic tear and drop the body to the floor? (01:15:45)
Continuity mistake: After Murtaugh confirms the Alba Varden is a ship, one of Rudd's henchmen enters the house armed with a knife. Moments later when they're struggling by the hobby room's blueprint table, Murtaugh grabs the nail gun and shoots him in the forehead. Now right here, you can notice the sound of a knife being thrown to the floor as he reaches for his head. But when the henchman is up against the unhinged doors, he's once again holding a knife in his right hand. (01:21:55)
Continuity mistake: After Riggs' Houdini-esque underwater escape, he makes his way to the pair of hitmen on the docks above. One of them gets thrown through a car door's glass window, and Riggs uses that same door to bash his head repeatedly. As Riggs is dealing the blows, pay attention during the close-up shots and you'll see reflections in a brand new piece of glass. (01:32:50)
Continuity mistake: In the final shoot-out Riggs shoots a guy who is looking down a ladder. We see about four exit wounds on his back, but no injury in front, neither later when Murtaugh takes a look at the corpse. (01:37:30)
Continuity mistake: In the fight scene toward the end of the film between Riggs and the guy who killed his wife and Rika, look carefully at the watch Riggs is wearing - it moves from one arm to the other in close-up as Riggs forces the guy to stab himself. (01:38:35)
Continuity mistake: In the final scene where Riggs is in Murtaugh's arms the side shots show blood all over the left side of Riggs' face but the straight shots there is just a little on his left cheek and chin. (01:41:55)
Continuity mistake: At the end when the shootout on the Alba Varden has finished, as police cars are shown driving over the bridge while Murtaugh attends to the wounded Riggs in the cargo area, the sky is pitch dark. Two minutes later when the credits are rolling, the sky is now much lighter. (01:46:40 - 01:49:00)
Continuity mistake: When Pieter throws a knife at Riggs from offscreen, it sticks into his leg. Note that most of the blade is still visible. All things considered, the knife could have been able to penetrate maybe two, three inches into the skin (at best). But look closely in the following shot as well as subsequent shots where Pieter starts kicking Riggs in the face and you'll notice how the knife has managed to drive itself completely through and out the opposite side. Arguably the knife could be long enough and, with immense effort, this might be possible, but Pieter throwing a knife all the way through Riggs' thigh just seems absurd. (01:46:45)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, when Riggs is in the cargo area, a gunman shoots at him, he rolls and starts emptying the clip into him - you see the bullet holes in the gunman. But as Riggs is face to face with the gunman, the holes disappear.
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the car chase you see a shot of the station wagon Riggs and Murtaugh are riding in get held up by a couple of police cars. The hood is popped open. The shot changes to the BMW crashing into the store window and then back to the station wagon. The hood is down.
Continuity mistake: During the opening chase when Riggs is driving through the small gap on the bridge, as Murtaugh shouts, "Get off ya mother f***er", the car that is next to them goes from being right up against their car to a good 10 feet away between the 2 shots.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Riggs and Rika are in the trailer while the men in the helicopters are shooting, after the scene where you see the T.V. fall down, You see the cabinet being shot. If you look carefully, you can see pieces of the cabinet fall down, then appear again. Director's cut.
Continuity mistake: In Lethal Weapon 1 Murtaugh turns 50. In Lethal Weapon 2, you can see a copy of Murtaugh's police file in the South African Embassy, when they are discussing repercussions against the police. In the file it says Murtaugh was born in 1947 which would make him 42 in this movie.
Continuity mistake: Near the end, when Riggs is captured by the bad guys they tie him in a straight-jacket and toss him off a pier into the drink, he's wearing a pair of Dingo style boots. Underwater when he dislocates his shoulder and escapes the straight-jacket, he sees Patsy Kendit's corpse, swims over, checks her pulse and swims to the surface. Now he's barefoot. Yet when he attacks and kills the two thugs he's got the boots on again. They can even be heard on the pavement.
Continuity mistake: At the end of the film when Murtaugh is holding Riggs, the position of the money keeps changing around them, yet no wind appears to be blowing.
Continuity mistake: After leaving the Embassy, when Murtaugh pulls over after Leo says there's a deli, he parks in front of a white car and is near a bush and some grass on the ground. From inside the car, the white car is no longer present and when the door is ripped off, they are now parked in a different spot, no bush or grass is around.
