Continuity: When Danny gets shot at the end of the film, his paper flies out of his hand. But the very next shot of him shows that the paper is still in his hand being held over his head while he falls backwards. In one of the following shots the paper is back on the floor, but it's on the opposite side it should have been when it flew out of his hand. It's all shown in slow motion and it's very obvious.
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American History X (1998) - 38 mistakes
Directed by Tony Kaye, starring Avery Brooks, Beverly D'Angelo, Edward Furlong, Edward Norton, Elliott Gould, Ethan Suplee, Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Lien (add more)
Continuity: Toward the beginning, when the principal calls Danny into his office to discuss his Mein Kampf paper, he first glares at the Jewish teacher who exits the principal's office. As the teacher is walking past, the clock on the wall reads 8:10. But when the camera angle changes to show him walk around a corner, the same clock reads 8:20. Apparently it took him 10 minutes to turn the corner.
Continuity: When Danny and Derek are taking down the Nazi-posters in Danny's room, the big poster above the computer is a very large neo nazi flag that takes up about one fifth of the entire wall. During one of the shots in which all other smaller posters are being taken down, it is not there, and then it reappears and is the last one they take down.
Continuity: After the shooting, when Derek is being arrested, he is on his knees and the cop behind him helps him to his feet. The cop wraps his right arm across Derek's chest, the camera then cuts to the angle from Danny's view, and its now the cop's left arm across Derek's chest when he gets to his feet.
Revealing: Before the killing of the black guy happens, in the scene where Derek is arguing with the English Teacher (Murray) about civil rights, he hurts Jennifer Lien. He then takes off his shirt and shows Murray the German Swastika on his chest, as he does this you can easily see some of the undressed studio set behind him as instead of a ceiling there is simply a black wall at the top.
Continuity: When Derek exits his house and shoots at the three black guys who are stealing his truck, there are numerous street lights lighting up the street throughout this scene. Then during the slow motion shot where Derek is approaching the guy who he gives the Californian curb kick, the lights are out, and the entire street is dark. All the lights apparently must have simultaneously turned off.
Continuity: During the scene where the skinheads raid the store, one of the store employees is on the floor being attacked by a few skinheads. They pull two liters of soda off the shelf hitting the employee. In the next scene they cut a bag of corn (or seed) that falls all over the employee but the two liters are now back on the shelf.
Revealing: When Danny is talking to Cameron just before Derek enters the room, look at the map of the United States on the wall right behind where Danny is sitting. There is a visible reflection of a stage light. There are several other lamps in the room as part of the make up of the room, but due to the size and intensity of this reflection, is quite obviously from a stage light.
Continuity: Toward the end of the film, when Danny is approaching his girlfriend at their high school, his backpack is on his back. He then hugs her, and the bag is not there as there are no straps doing down the front of his shoulder. They are then shown walking together into the school and the backpack is on his back again.
Continuity: At the dinner table scene at the Vinyard home where Derek and Murray get into an argument about civil rights, watch Derek's arms right after Murray says "It's like an expression of rage by people who feel neglected and turned away by the system." He moves his right arm back behind his plate, then in the next shot he has this arm extended forward holding his fork.
Continuity: When the three African-American guys throw the white guy into the bathroom to beat him up, watch the guy who locks the bathroom door. In one shot he is several feet behind is two friends, with his back to the camera locking the door and in the next shot he is standing right there with them.
Continuity: When Danny gets home from school on the day of Derek's return, he shows Derek his Disciples of Christ tattoo on his arm. Watch Derek and you will notice that he first grabs Danny's wrist with his right hand, and then in the immediate following shot of completely uninterrupted time Derek is holding Danny's wrist with his left hand.
Continuity: In the opening of the movie, when Derek approaches the black guy who he had just pistol whipped, the background is pitch black with one small light flickering in the distance. Later in the movie, during one of Danny's flashbacks, it shows a repeat of that scene, and when Derek is approaching the black guy, the entire street is well lit, and the background is very visible.
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