Goofs

Most shots of Entebbe Airport include a long line of African flags running alongside the terminal, between it and the runway. The line includes the flag of the rebel Republic of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), which neither Uganda, nor any other country, recognized.

Idi Amin held the rank of General until 1975, then promoted himself to Field Marshal. Throughout the movie, he wears insignia of both these ranks at differing times, making it appear that he continually switched between them. On the 'working' uniform, he always appears as a General (crossed swords, pip and coat of arms). In his 'dress' uniform he always appears as a Field Marshal (crossed sword and baton enclosed in oak leaves).

The chest X-ray Doctors Garrigan and Junju discuss early in the film is backward.

In the last scene when the non-Israeli hostages were free, it was seen that the freed hostages were boarded and flown out of Uganda with Antonov An-12 aircraft. In the real-life when the non-Israeli hostages was released, they were flown out of Entebbe, Uganda to Paris, France by a chartered Air France Boeing 747.

Large, glass-fronted office buildings are visible in the background of some Kampala street scenes. They didn't exist in the 1970s, when the film was set.

In 1971 in Uganda number plates were letters and numbers.

During the crowd scene in the village, set around 1972, a man wears a Canadian Scout Uniform that was first issued in 1994.

When the children run beside Idi Amin's car and wave to Garrigan, thinking the president is inside the car, a digital wristwatch is visible on one child's arm, especially in slow motion at the end of the film.

At the end of the movie, when Amin's men at the airport see that Garrigan has escaped, a flat-screen TV is in the back of the lounge.

In the opening scene, when the students jump off the dock, the call of a red-winged blackbird can be heard. Red-winged blackbirds don't live in Scotland.

When Amin realizes that Garrigan is on the hostage plane, he lets him escape Uganda even though he could have radiod the pilot and requested the plane be landed again.