In the opening escape, Mac loops a cable around a pipe and then to Jack. Mac states that that will provide mechanical advantage. Without another device on Jack's end to act as another pulley, there is no mechanical advantage. The one pipe (pulley) only serves to change the direction of the force.
When they set the scene in Lincoln, Nebraska they state it's the birthplace of the Rueben Sandwich. The real birthplace of the Reuben Sandwich was the Blackstone Hotel at S 36th St & Farman St in Omaha, Nebraska.