Many of the film's prison scenes were filmed at the old Hamilton County Jail in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Jail, also known as the "Cincinnati Workhouse", had been permanently closed prior to the location filming of the movie. It had been built during the Civil War to house enemy troops and was still in use by Hamilton county and Cincinnati area police agencies as a jail as late as the 1970s. It was closed due to being "inhumane, cruel and unusual" by modern jail standards.
Gene Hackman, James Caan, Tom Berenger, Kurt Russell and Michael Douglas were considered for the leading role.