Trivia

Paul Schrader said he approached Michael Wincott, Michael Douglas, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Nick Nolte, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and Rupert Everett for the role of Greco the Greek, but it didn't work out with any of them. In the end, to avoid going over budget, he played the role himself in what will be his acting debut.

Shot in only 25 days. The crew was largely comprised of recent film school graduates.

Nicolas Cage paid $100,000 of his salary to Willem Dafoe to pursue him to make this movie.

This is the 7th collaboration between Paul Schrader and Willem Dafoe.

Paul Schrader's and Nicolas Cage 's third collaboration. The previous two were Bringing Out the Dead (1999) and Dying of the Light (2014).