While Hollywood is known for its frequent continuity errors, there are times when the errors are so obvious that you have to wonder if all the creators were asleep at the wheel. This brings us to perhaps the worst continuity error ever discovered in a major motion picture: the 1985 action film Commando starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. So what exactly happened?
After Schwarzenegger is chased by John Matrix of the evil Sally (David Patrick Kelly), the latter’s elegant yellow Porsche is severely damaged.
After killing Sally, Matrix gets into her car and reveals how badly damaged the Porsche’s left door is. Ironically, this side of the car appears completely new in the very next shot, when Matrix and Cindy (Ray Dawn Chong) drive away.
It’s obvious that two different cars were used to film this scene, but given how markedly different their conditions are, it’s shocking that not a single member of the crew – not even the Austrian Oak – noticed the error.
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Commando (1985) Blu-ray Review
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Missed Flaw with Porsche Patch-Up in Commando
One of the most thrilling action scenes in Commando, features Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, John Matrix, seizing control of Sully’s (David Patrick Kelly) yellow Porsche and initiating a swift pursuit. As one might anticipate from an action-packed movie, the Porsche gets into several collisions, explodes, and comes dangerously close to dying. Once Sully is dead, Matrix enters this elegant, rich car to show off how badly the left-hand door has been damaged. Remarkably, though, in the very next scene, when Matrix and Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) are driving away, this side of the vehicle looks to be brand new.
Given how different the two cars’ conditions are, it is astounding that no crew member called attention to the error, even though it is obvious that two different cars were used to film the scene. It is even more confusing because the camera only shows the right side of the car at the beginning of the shot; if the director had just sped up the editing by a few seconds, they could have avoided showing the left side of the car.
And as if that were not enough, in the scene where Matrix and Cindy get to the motel, the left side of the car gets damaged again. It never comes to an end. This is an extremely strange error, but it also adds a silly charm to one of the 1980s’ most purely entertaining action movies.
This Careless Flaw in a $35 Million Film Stunned Viewers
It turns out that despite carefully planning every scene, the production team of Commando—which, according to The Numbers, achieved $35 million worldwide—overlooked Porsche’s damage scene. During the pursuit, the car sustains significant damage, but it magically fixes itself a few seconds later. Considering how meticulously detailed Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in his previous films, this oversight seems surprising. Fans responded hilariously and with disbelief when they saw this flaw after it was uploaded on YouTube. One fan claimed:“That’s funny! I show point this out whenever I watch the movie to anyone! There was another blooper in that same scene. When Arnie picks up Sully & holds him upside down, there is a cable attatched 2 Sully’s leg… lol”
Other said:
“This car made me fall in love with yellow porsches since a kid.”Another added:
“102 mistakes and it’s still a CULT MOVIE!”
One made the following observation while posing the question:
“Also the Porsche moved from the side of the road where it turned over into the middle of the street.???”
In a 1985 interview with Gene Siskel, Schwarzenegger talked about his role in Commando. Siskel showed a movie clip that included scenes where Sully was being pursued by Matrix through the mall. Sully was inside a phone booth when Matrix picked it up and turned it over in one of the scenes. Schwarzenegger replied that the telephone booth weighed “270 pounds” when Siskel asked how much it weighed. He then said that the stuntman inside the booth weighed “130 pounds”.
When questioned about his ability to lift 400 pounds, The Terminator star said,
“Yea sure, I mean God I’ve been lifting my whole life so it’s no problem.”
The film was well-received for its humor and action scenes upon its release, and it turned a profit at the box office. In addition to Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke, and Dan Hedaya, the film features Schwarzenegger in the title role.
Commando is available to watch on Apple TV Channel Paramount Plus.