Goodfellas goofs

When the young Henry Hill is arrested for selling black-market cigarettes, the cartons bear UPC barcodes. A barcode is also visible on a bottle of washing-up liquid on the windowsill as Johnny and the lads make spaghetti in the late 1950s. Barcodes first appeared in 1966, were adopted as an industry standard in 1970, and the first barcode scan took place in 1974.

In the sequence that opens with "Idlewild Airport, 1963", Henry is leaning against a 1965 Chevrolet Impala.

In a scene set in the early 1970s, the restaurant's front door displays Visa and Mastercard logos; at that time Mastercard was known as Master Charge and Visa as BankAmericard.

As Henry and Karen move through the nightclub's kitchen, they walk past a cook sporting a contemporary Mets cap.

Towards the end, whilst Henry waits for the helicopter, his 1979 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Paeton is fitted with a rear brake light that was only introduced in 1986.

When Paulie's home is first shown, a cable for television is clearly visible on the outside. Cable television only reached New York's outer boroughs in the mid-1980s.

Henry confronts Karen's neighbour Bruce in the early 1960s. Bruce's friend on the left-hand side of the screen is wearing Adidas Superstar (shell-toe) trainers, which were first produced in 1969.

In a scene set in the mid-to-late 1970s, Henry peers into a bag packed with twenty-dollar notes. They're signed by James A. Baker, who served as Secretary of the Treasury in 1985.

In a scene set in 1963, the bass guitarist in the restaurant band is shown playing a Gibson EB-2D, a model that was not introduced until 1966.

While on their date at the Copa, Henry and Karen sip champagne from oversized flute glasses. Although a 4 fl oz flute was introduced in the 1930s, the larger flutes pictured did not become popular until the mid-1970s. Henry and Karen should've been drinking from coupe-style glasses.

A McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which entered service in the early 1970s, can be seen in one of the 1960s airport scenes.

When Henry escorts Karen to the Copa, they slip in via a service door and thread their way along several passageways before finally emerging into the dining room. The fire extinguisher beside the kitchen is a modern pressurised CO2 unit bearing an OSHA filling inspection tag, which wasn't required in the 1960s. At that time, most extinguishers were either the dry-powder, push-handle variety (similar to older insect sprays) or gravity-fed liquid units that worked by turning the cylinder upside down and directing the nozzle.

The closing notes state "In 1989, Henry and Karen Hill separated after 25 years of marriage," which implies they were married in 1964. However, in a scene set before their marriage, a 1966 Corvette is parked opposite Karen's mother's house.

In a sequence labelled "Brooklyn, 1955", the camera follows Henry as he runs to his shift at the taxi rank. Part of the shot looks through the telegraph poles to reveal the surrounding neighbourhood. The frame also includes a contemporary cable-television amplifier.

Whilst Henry and Karen are parked watching Bruce and Henry pistol-whips him, Henry's car and another vehicle parked across the road are missing front number plates. The state of New York requires both front and rear number plates.

Young Henry Hill wears a pair of Clark's Wallabies throughout. That cannot be correct for 1955, as Clark's did not introduce the Wallabies until 1961.

In 1963 a Boeing 747 is visible flying above Idlewild (JFK) Airport.

When Karen shouts, "He pushed me out of the car," her lips don't move.

When Janice hands over her dog to Tommy, Tommy's voice can be heard saying "I'm going to eat this fucking dog", but his lips form different words.

During his taunt in the pub, Billy Batts lifts his glass after a while and, without moving his lips, utters "Salud, Tommy".

When Henry is freed from prison, a microphone is visible in the car's window as Karen turns to her right to embrace him.

A shadow falls in Henry's house as he discusses the Lufthansa heist with Marie.

At the start of the film, Henry's voice-over asserts that Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) is 28 years old. In fact, De Niro was in his mid-40s whilst filming the part, which is plainly evident.

At roughly the same moment the narrator comments on the body's solidly frozen state, the frozen body in the meat lorry shows subtle movements in the creases around his eyes.

Shortly into the film, the narrator says, "It was before Apalachin," indicating the upstate New York town where a late 1950s Mafia gathering was raided by the police and made national headlines. He pronounces the name as "ap-a-LAY-chin," rather than "ap-a-LAY-kin."

The younger Henry favours his right hand, whereas the older Henry favours his left.

In the sequence where Karen points a gun at Henry's face, one weapon is used for close-ups while a different one is employed for long shots.

When Tommy shoots Spider, he’s standing behind the bar, adding ice to the drinks. In the subsequent shot he appears several feet in front of the bar and then falls back into it.

During the sit-down between Sonny Bunz and Paulie about Tommy, an over-the-shoulder shot from behind Sonny shows Paulie speaking with a cigar in his mouth. In the subsequent over-the-shoulder shot of Sonny, Paulie's cigar has disappeared. In the following over-the-shoulder shot from behind Sonny, the cigar is once again in Paulie's mouth.

On their first date on their own, Henry and Karen are wearing different outfits by the time they reach the club.

Once Tommy has slain Morrie, he and Frankie deliberate on the best place to dismember the corpse. Morrie's chest rises and falls, as though he were breathing.

When Karen points the firearm at Henry's face, the cylinder alternately appears empty and loaded.

At Henry's mistress' flat, while Paulie and Jimmy are urging Henry to return to Karen, Henry's Catholic cross and the Star of David swap positions after a brief cutaway. Yet in Henry's final shot he is shown wearing both the Catholic cross and the Star of David.

The handset wobbles on Morrie's shoulder whilst he's talking to Henry.

Karen's jumper is soiled on the shoulder after Henry's fight. At the door, the jumper is clean.

In Henry's shower scene, the shampoo in his hair is visible in some cuts and missing in others.

On 11 May 1980, while Henry and Karen are at the shopping centre, they leave their car by the kerb outside the shop. Later, when they come out after checking for helicopters, they find the vehicle parked in the car park.

During Karen's visit to Henry in prison, the cheese and salami on the table swap places between cuts.

While Henry, Paulie and the restaurateur discuss Paulie taking control of a portion of the restaurant to keep it safe from Tommy, Paulie's cigar shifts position and even disappears between scenes.

Moments before Henry enters the prison cell carrying a bag of provisions, Paulie is seated at the table drinking. A jar filled with fresh basil occupies the centre of the table. In the next shot Paulie is still drinking, but the jar and the basil have disappeared.

When Tommy is beating Billy Batts with the gun in his hand, the cylinder drops out and lands on the floor. That would only be possible if there were no retention screw to secure the cylinder.

When teenaged Henry is handed the keys to park a "wise-guy's" Cadillac, he climbs into what appears to be a 1952 or 1953 model. After he parks it, an overhead long shot shows him stepping out of a 1949 Cadillac.

During Ray Liotta's shower scene following the Lufthansa heist, he slaps the wall with his right hand in celebration. In the low-angle shot, however, he is shown hitting the wall with his left hand.

While Henry and Karen Hill are speaking to the federal agent about the witness protection programme, the dress draped over Karen's knee shifts position between cuts.

As Henry carries a bag of provisions into the gaol, he hands the wine bottles to Paulie and then takes a bottle of Scotch whisky and two jars. In the following shot he is seen holding some bread, a different bottle of Scotch whisky, and two jars.

On the morning of 11 May 1980, Henry uses his left hand to place a paper bag into the car's boot. In a close-up, a hand wearing a wristwatch and a bracelet is shown, although Henry wears those items on his right hand.

When Morrie says "Give them 8 to 5 on Cleveland," the phone is in his right hand, pressed to his ear. In the following shot, just a split second later, the handset is in his left hand and hanging by his side.

On the day Tommy is bumped off, he gets into the car via the rear passenger door and is followed by another man, which places him between two occupants. When the car is parked in the garage, Tommy steps out, and the man who had been sitting to his right has vanished.

When Henry's mistress is hosting a party to showcase her new flat, the women move from the sitting room into the bedroom. Two of the women swap places as they enter the bedroom.

In the "You're a funny guy" scene, a polystyrene coffee cup vanishes and reappears three times.

In the police raid scene, some cocaine can be seen on the rim of the toilet before Karen pours the drugs into the bowl.

When Morrie and Ray are shown talking while James is watching Morrie's commercials, there is a shot from behind Morrie. He holds the telephone handset in his right hand. In the same sequence, the camera cuts to a frontal view of Morrie and the handset appears in his left hand while his right hand is gesturing. The handset switches back again when the camera returns to an over-the-shoulder shot, and once more when it moves to a frontal shot.

After Tommy knocks Billy Batts unconscious, he's lying facing one direction. When they pull the tablecloths to bundle him up, he's lying the opposite way.

During Tommy's "Why am I funny" speech, the placement of Henry's left hand, together with the cigarette and glass he is holding, alters and shifts.

In the "How am I funny?" scene, Henry's left hand varies according to whether the camera is shot from the front or the rear. At times his left hand is raised, holding both a drink and a cigarette; at other times it is empty. Likewise, depending on the camera angle, his left hand may be either raised or hanging down by his side.

While Tommy raises a drink to his lips in the restaurant, the subsequent shot shows the drink no longer near his mouth.

Seen from behind, Henry is seated at a table with a young girl on his lap, supporting her with his left hand. A woman enters, removes food from the pockets of her coat and places it on the table. In a brief cut, Henry reaches for some of the food with both hands.

As Jimmy watches Karen drive away, he turns back towards the building. In the subsequent shot he looks towards the road, then turns back to the building once more.

When Jimmy phones to say that Tommy has been made, the front of a camera is reflected on the side of the telephone box.

As Henry and Karen conceal the firearm at her mum's house, a camera can be seen in the background.

When Jimmy Burke's character first appears, the camera sweeps around the room; a stage light can be seen in the upper-right corner of the frame, travelling with the camera as it pans.

Seen in the window while Karen searches for the stolen dresses.

At roughly the 45-minute mark, a camera operator can be seen on the right-hand side of the frame.

The Airline Diner stands beside LaGuardia Airport, not at Idlewild (now John F Kennedy Airport).

The gangsters snatch Henry's postman as he leaves work at a post office marked "Pitkin Ave Station, Queens, N.Y.". Henry lives in East New York, Brooklyn, which would be in a different postcode.

Paulie was jailed for fraud, not for contempt as Henry asserts.

When Morrie's address appears in his television advert, the number is shown without a hyphen (Queens addresses are typically hyphenated), and the address ought to include the neighbourhood name rather than simply "Queens, NY". Except for Manhattan, which is always given as "New York, NY", the other New York boroughs are normally specified by name in addresses.

By 1963, Henry and Tommy are grown men, leaning against the boot of a 1965 Chevrolet as they wait to steal a lorry.

When Henry collects his brother from hospital after almost being involved in an accident, the doctor hands him an orange tablet, supposedly Valium 10 mg. Valium 10 mg tablets are blue, while Valium 5 mg tablets are yellow, so it cannot be two 5 mg tablets.

According to former mobster Michael Franzese, Hill’s relationship with Cicero was not as close as the film depicts. Hill also suffered from alcohol dependence as well as drug addiction during his life.

A vehicle is shown sporting a 1987 registration plate.

During the "You're a funny guy" scene, set in 1963, a bottle of Crown Royal whisky can be seen on the table. Crown Royal was not sold in the United States until 1965, so Tommy had smuggled it into the country.

When Henry has the telephone cord wrapped around Morrie's neck, the handset is clearly held in his hand. The telephone then rings, which cannot happen while the handset is off the hook.

In the Morrie's Wigs advert, Morrie dives into a swimming pool to demonstrate that his wig will stay on while submerged. Yet when he surfaces his head is completely dry. That was almost certainly deliberate, intended to conceal the possibility that the wigs might not perform underwater as claimed.

Carbone's name is mentioned on five occasions — four times as Frankie and once, in Henry's voice-over, as Tommy. Earlier, a voice-over notes that every gangster has at least one nickname.

When Henry smuggles cheeses, wines and Scotch into prison, he says to Johnnie Dio, "Vinnie, I got your peppers and onions". Henry noted earlier that every gangster has at least one nickname; Vinnie could be Johnnie Dio's nickname.

Billy Batts is at Henry's club for his welcome-home party. The issue is that Batts was a senior soldier in the Gambino Crime Family and had once been the right-hand man to John Gotti; Henry Hill and his associates, however, were tied to the Lucchese Crime Family. It would be improbable for a member of one family to hold a celebration at a rival family's haunt rather than on their own turf.

However, improbable though it may seem, that is how the real Henry Hill recounted the night's events, including Batts' notorious "shine my shoes" remark, which ultimately precipitated his death a few weeks later.

Henry explains in a voice-over that a made man cannot be killed without authorisation from a superior. Tommy didn't take that into account when he killed Batts for insulting him. The film, however, explicitly acknowledges this — Henry raises the point twice, and it clearly brings consequences for Tommy.

Cicero's associates may have intercepted letters sent by Henry's school before they reached his home, yet the school could still ring his parents.

In the steadicam shot at the Copa, Henry and Karen's path actually doubles back on itself inside the kitchen. As they turn left to go into the kitchen, a fire hose lies behind a waiter in front of them. Roughly thirty seconds later they reappear through the same door, the fire hose now to their left. They could have walked past the kitchen door and turned right into the nightclub.

After Jimmy tells her to go to the dress shop, Karen drives off and her car knocks a fake licence plate off another vehicle.

When Henry brings the firearms to go with the silencers he'd already bought, the silencers are depicted as threaded and the barrels are too large. In fact, the barrels are the parts that are threaded, and the silencers are designed to fit over them.

Once Morrie has been killed inside the car, he momentarily blinks as Frankie Carbone opens the driver's-side door.

Whilst Henry is in the shower he hears about the Lufthansa heist on the radio, which is set to 710 AM. The broadcast, recognised by its distinctive "you give us 22 minutes" jingle, originates from WINS 1010 AM.

While Henry and Karen are at the Seaside resort, Henry attempts to settle the bill in cash, but Karen says he must sign for it. Every $50 note in Henry's hand bears the same serial number.

The firearms never create any bullet holes.

When Carbone's frozen corpse is discovered in the lorry, he swallows slightly.

During the dinner scene with Tommy's mother, the camera judders noticeably in a single shot of Henry.

When young Henry smashes unwanted cars' windows, the glass fractures and drops out with ease, as though they were ordinary window panes.

At the parole office, Henry shows Jimmy and Tommy a shoe-box of cash provided by his Pittsburgh contact; every banknote carries the same serial number.

At 59:04, Henry mouths the words in synchrony with Tommy as Tommy says "What's the matter, something wrong with you?"

When Tuddy Cicero fires at Tommy, the pistol's slide does not cycle and no spent cartridge is ejected, making it apparent the weapon is a prop rather than a genuine firearm.