Rourke attempted to quit smoking during filming, in preparation for his pro boxing career. By the end of the film, he gave in and resumed smoking, the same as his character, who resumes smoking to the surprise of Dafoe.
Before Willem Dafoe and Mickey Rourke were cast, Morgan Creek Productions considered Kevin Costner for the lead, and either Jeff Bridges, or Nick Nolte as the Gorman Lennox character. In the end, the three actors' hefty price tags were too rich for the medium-budgeted production.
Ray Dolezal's car is 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray C2.
Warner Brothers briefly considered re-titling the film "Quicksand".
The film cast includes four Oscar nominees: Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Willem Dafoe.