Factual error: In the very first shot of the movie, a clock is shown ticking. The time on the clock reads 05:59:56. It is obviously AM because a few seconds later at 06:00:00, Frank wakes up as if it was morning. As Frank sits up, clear daylight is visible outside of the window. This scene is supposed to be set during winter. We know this because there are many Christmas decorations. Since this is meant to be winter, it should still be dark at that time of day. (00:00:40)
Suggested correction: At the beginning of the movie it's September or early October if latest in the year. At Cleveland's latitude there's enough sunlight at 6am to experience such lighting through a window facing south.
First, what in the film places the opening scene in Sept or Oct? There's too much snow on the ground for it to be either of those months (it doesn't snow in September and rarely in October, but only late October). Second, even if it was set in October, the sun doesn't rise until around 7:30AM or 8:00AM.
I disagree. I think what Bishop73 wrote above is correct. The opening scene at 6:00 AM showed daylight, which would be too early for October, November, and December in Ohio. The movie apparently begins in December based on the amount of Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. Sunrise might be between 7:30 - 8:00 AM and twilight is about 30 minutes prior to sunrise. It simply would not be that light out at 6:00 AM.
Character mistake: In the New Orleans scene in the cop car he calls in an officer down and describes the black vehicle as a Tahoe, but it's a GMC Yukon. He also describes the suspect as "Male, black suit and tie" but when he exits the vehicle they are both blue.
Character mistake: In the scene where Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, and John Malkovich are having lunch outside on a river in New Orleans, right after Mary-Louise Parker gets off the pay-phone, John Malkovich reads off the tail number of a helicopter flying over as "N9745C", even though the number is visible as "N9748C". A few minutes later, when the three are talking to James Rema in Mobile, in the airport control tower, they see the helicopter (again, visible as "N9748C"), only this time, John Malkovich correctly identifies it as "N9748C". (00:36:45 - 00:40:00)
Revealing mistake: In Frank and Sarah's first conversation her headset is on mute, shown by the fact it's blinking red. (00:02:25)
Continuity mistake: At the airport, Sarah says "She has a camera in her purse, we have to kill her?" As soon as the camera stops panning around, Marvin is visible in the far background holding the pig teddy with the pig's legs facing the two. The shot then cuts to a close-up of Marvin. In this close-up, the pig teddy's legs are now facing the opposite direction. (00:37:00)
Continuity mistake: After killing all of the assassins, Frank places bullets in a frying pan and turns the stove on. When the bullets go off, the rest of the assassins start shooting at the house, destroying a snowman on Frank's porch. In all future shots of the porch afterwards, not only has the snowman disappeared, but there's also no sign of the snowman's remains either. (00:09:05)
Continuity mistake: During the scene in the elevator when Sarah drops Frank's contact lens, Sarah's fingernails keep changing between short and longer manicured, depending on the angle of the particular shot. (00:49:50)
Continuity mistake: When Frank and Marvin are being chased by the soldiers in Moldova, there are several explosions in the foreground. There is an explosion near some bushes in a side angle of them running. In the next shot, both the bushes and the explosion have vanished. (01:40:15)
Revealing mistake: Alexander Dunning tells Agent Cooper to handcuff Frank. After Cooper handcuffs Frank it then cuts to a close-up of Frank's hand, showing Cooper giving him the key to the handcuffs. In this shot, we can see that the cuffs aren't actually locked in. He obviously is supposed to have locked the cuffs since he gave Frank a key to unlock them - if he faked it, why the key? This is most noticeable when Frank clenches and lowers his hand after being given the key, giving away the loose cuff. (01:41:25)
Other mistake: In the end credits, the cast is meant to be in order of appearance. When it gets to Victoria's credit, it states that Alexander Dunning appears next in the movie. Another 4 people after this reads Cooper's family appears. This is wrong. Victoria appears. A few minutes after this, Cooper is shown at his house and watches his kids sleeping. In the scene after Alexander Dunning appears for the first time in the movie. For the credits to be in order of appearance correctly, it would have to be Victoria - Cooper's Daughter - Cooper's Son - Alexander Dunning. (01:41:15)
Character mistake: When Victoria is blasting away at the VPs limo, the security truck should block the limo from the machine gun. They just pull up behind it even though that vehicle is specifically in the motorcade to carry agents and to block threats even though it is usually not an armored vehicle.
Visible crew/equipment: When Frank goes to Cooper's office there's a glass-top table and carpet with a striped pattern. After Cooper calls Frank "Grandpa" then kicks him, a few shots later (before Frank lifts the glass-top table) the pink T-mark taped to the striped carpet can be seen, in the underside reflection of the table's glass. (00:53:15)
Continuity mistake: The Vice President begins a speech at the Victory Fund Gala. Cooper, backstage, then exits the room. Before he walks over to the door after exiting the room, he has an ear piece in his right ear. The ear piece disappears when he walks through the door in the next shot. (01:23:05)
Continuity mistake: Victoria has lipstick on when she exits the car as the Victory Fund Gala begins. When she goes to the metal detector, the lipstick has vanished. Then it reappears as soon as she exits the metal detector. (01:21:30)
Continuity mistake: During the airport shootout, Frank tells Marvin to unzip his pig teddy that is revealed to contain a grenade launcher, and he shoots at a gunner on top of a container. Marvin then drops the pig teddy, which is visible in front of the containers as they take off running in the next shot to the next container. However, when the shot zooms out as Marvin points his middle finger at the satellite, the pig teddy is no longer there. It couldn't have been out of frame because the pig teddy was only two containers away from them. (00:40:00)
Continuity mistake: Frank and Sarah arrive at a motel and Frank removes the duct tape from Sarah's mouth. Sarah then says "If you let me go now, I won't press charges". Note the two necklaces around her neck when she says this. There is a butterfly attached to one, lying above the other necklace. The shot then cuts over to Frank. When the shot returns to Sarah, the butterfly is now several inches below the other necklace. Once again, the shot cuts to Frank where he then says "I was in the CIA". In the shot after that shows Sarah again, the butterfly has gone back to lying on top of the other necklace. She could not have moved the necklace around during the shots of Frank since she was tied up. (00:15:35)
Continuity mistake: Near the start when the assassins come after Frank, Frank injects one with the syringe that was intended for him. The half of the syringe that has no liquid has a noticeable plastic grey color. It then cuts to the close-up, and the half with no liquid now has no grey color. (00:07:55)
Plot hole: When Moses comes to Sarah, a wet team arrives. Then, when Sarah gets free in the hotel and makes a 911 call, Cooper is on the plane and talks on the phone with someone about cheques and gets a notification about the 911 call. He comments why no one thought about that and asks the pilot to turn around. So who sent the wet team earlier?
Continuity mistake: In the beginning Frank wakes up at 6am. He walks downstairs and the clock in the kitchen shows 7am.
Suggested correction: I considered the 7:00 AM time on the clock as representing the passage of one hour since Red got up. Red is shown leaving his bedroom, walking down the hall while putting on his robe, and possibly entering the bathroom or other room. Perhaps more significantly, when Red enters the room where the later time (7:00) can be seen, he is no longer wearing the robe plus has a cup of coffee with him (which took time to prepare). After this, he goes to another room to exercise. These activities probably are his ways of passing time until he can call about his pension check - the office might not open until 8:00-9:00 AM.
Factual error: When Gabriel Singer gets shot in the control tower during the day it would've been impossible to see human beings in there. All towers have a severe and reflective coating for daytime and with the sun on them you cannot see into them. So there is no way the guy in the helicopter could've seen him to shoot him.
