Jason Patric showed his considerable horsemanship in the scene where he has a one-on-one showdown with an Apache warrior. Patric goes from laying across his horse prone on the ground, to ordering the horse back onto its feet while he mounts it as it quickly rolls upright, rifle in one hand, reins in the other.
According to Walter Hill, there is a longer version to the movie, he was forced to cut it down by twelve minutes. In his own words, he describes the version as a "damn good" version, and felt that the studio should have released that version on DVD.
The film had a mixed reception from critics, but was praised by Native American groups.
Tom Horn and The Apache Kid were not portrayed in this movie. Most accounts have them as being instrumental in the capture of Geronimo.
According to a interview with Director Walter Hill, he never liked the title of the movie, "Geronimo: An American Legend", because he never felt the movie was about Geronimo, but about the men who had caught Geronimo.