Cast members, Tom Skerritt and Yaphet Kotto, both previously had about three years earlier appeared in Alien (1979).
The 'Local 52' union was planning to picket and protest the production at St. Malachy's Church in New York City on 12th January 1982 according to an article published in that day's edition of show-business trade-paper 'The Hollywood Reporter'. The dispute centered around the notion that the production was allegedly hiring "roughly 30" technicians in the NABET (National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians) union who were not American citizens. There were allegations that the production was also paying certain crew personnel in Italian 'lire' cash currency. Fred C. Caruso, the picture's unit production manager, declared that there were only three Italian cameramen on the crew, all of them were NABET union members, and they were all being paid in U.S. dollars.
McPherson Square in the suburb of Kensington in the city of Philadelphia in the American state of Pennsylvania, USA was set decorated with graffiti for the picture. The filming location was closed to local traffic for the first five weeks of filming there. Local residents were asked to help restore the locale to its original condition during the final week of principal photography in exchange for appearing in the movie as extras and background artists.
First lead starring role in a theatrical feature film of actress Patti LuPone who played Lisa D'Angelo.
Apparently, producer Dino De Laurentiis sold the franchise film rights of Death Wish (1974) to Cannon Films / Golan-Globus Productions then turned around and made this ''Death Wish'' style clone and knock-off.
Anthony Imperiale: The founder of the volunteer North Ward First Aid Squad as himself in archive footage.