Goofs
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Continuity (10) |
Crew or equipment visible (1) |
Errors in geography (2) |
Factual errors (1) |
Incorrectly regarded as goofs (1) |
Revealing mistakes (3) |
Spoilers (3)
Continuity
Before Detective Atwood ever sees any action, her knuckles are scraped and bruised from fighting.
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After the Man of the Year ceremony, Mrs. Brooks takes the ring on her right ring finger off and puts it into her jewelery box, when the camera changes angles, she is seen taking the same ring off again.
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As Earl is getting out of a taxi, he walks with a cane held with his right hand for a short distance. When he reaches his car, he hooks the cane over his left arm. In the next shot, he's holding the cane in his left hand by its shaft.
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When Mr. Brooks kills the first couple, the lamp inside the room is turned on. However, after he kills the couple, the room is dark and the lamp is off. The lamp later appears turned on in the photograph. The reflection of the lamp which appears turned off can also be seen right after the couple gets killed.
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When Earl drives the jeep to Jane's school, you can see the Axe in the car and near it you can see the gear handle is set on PARKING. As the camera goes up, you can clearly see the car is moving and Earl is driving it.
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During the car chase after the abduction of Atwood, the white van contacts a number of other vehicles causing significant damage to the van. At the end of this sequence the van is seen escaping but without any obvious sign of damage to the van.
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When Det. Atwood is taken into the van, the van turns into an alley with the sliding door open. Turning into the next street from the alley, the door is closed. The next shot with the van driving along the street shows the door open again.
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When Mr Brooks is driving Mr Smith around for the first time, it is raining heavily, yet when they drive past a new car dealership, none of the cars are wet and the coin op car wash across the street is full of people washing their cars.
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On the way to the cemetery when Mr. Smith pulls his gun on Mr. Brooks the hammer is pulled back. During their conversation Mr. Smith pulls the already cocked hammer back again.
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In the scene where the murder victim swings out of the ceiling and hits Demi Moore in the face, blood is streaming out of her broken nose. In subsequent shots, the blood has completely disappeared and she is not bleeding at all.
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Crew or equipment visible
When Mr. Brooks is talking to Jane in his office, you can see the camera man's arm in the window reflection behind Mr. Brooks' desk.
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Errors in geography
CVS pharmacy signs are visible at various times throughout the movie (most commonly during car rides), like when Mr. Brooks picks up Mr. Smith for the last time. CVS Pharmacies are not present in Portland, where the story is said to take place but are prevalent in L.A. where filming for many movies occurs. They are also common in Louisiana, where much of this film was shot.
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There is a scene where signs for US highways 79 and 80 are prominently shown. Neither highway is anywhere near Portland, Oregon. (Coincidentally, Portland did at one time contain a segment of Interstate 80N, but it is doubtful that the filmmakers planned this to cover the goof; Interstate 80N was in no way related to US highway 80, and it was re-designated as Interstate 84 many years ago). Both US Route 79 and 80 both run through Louisiana, where most of this movie was filmed.
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Factual errors
When Mr. Brooks is reading the paper, the first page contains the story of Meeks's murder-suicide. In the upper section, there is a note about DNA showing Mr. Smith to be the Thumbprint Killer. DNA would take a week to process at very minimum (more likely six to eight weeks), at which point Meeks' story would no longer be breaking news as it is portrayed.
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Incorrectly regarded as goofs
The movie is supposed to be set in Oregon, however the license plates on the cars let you know that it can't possibly be Oregon. Oregon license plates have three letters and then three numbers or vice versa. Not two letters and then a number with two numbers and a letter for the second half of the plate. This, however, is a common device in filmmaking, as film producers do not wish to actual registrations. Films shot in New York and Washington almost always feature cars whose license plates fail to conform to registration patterns.
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Revealing mistakes
When Detective Tracey Atwood's head is stitched it is a visibly huge and nasty head wound which would normally need some bandaging in addition to the stitches. However, in subsequent scenes there are no bandages visible nor is her hair shaved.
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Mr. Brooks' glasses are made of glass and aren't prescription lenses. You can see this in two scenes in particular: the scene in the beginning where Mr. Brooks and his wife go out for ice cream and the scene where Mr. Brooks is burning the pictures. Also, it is unlikely that this could have been intended by the filmmakers because Mr. Brooks' daughter puts them at least once when she is in his office.
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When Detective Carfano and the Portland Detective go to Mr. Brooks' home to question his daughter Jane about the murder at her school at Stanford, you can hear the doorbell being rung before the two detectives even get to the front door of the house.
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Spoilers
Character error
When Mr. Brooks and Mr. Smith first go into the cemetery, Mr. Brooks hands Mr. Smith the keys so he can get back out. However, after Mr. Brooks kills Mr. Smith, he does not retrieve the keys before rolling Mr. Smith into the grave.Share this
Revealing mistakes
When Meeks shoots himself in the head, a spray of blood appears on the wall behind him. In the next shot the blood is gone.Share this
Revealing mistakes
When Detective Tracy Atwood is abducted, the van she is in is seen at times with the side door open and then closed as she struggles to free herself.Share this
