According to James Woods, he went to watch the film at a local theatre and while he was leaving, a refugee from El Salvador knelt before him and kissed his hand, thanking him for telling the story of her family's massacre.
An advisor for the film was killed in El Salvador during production.
According to director Oliver Stone, there was a dinner where James Woods (Richard Boyle) and Jim Belushi (Doctor Rock) met their real-life counterparts. In Stone's words, Belushi stormed out of the dinner in a rage, while Woods did not get along with the real Boyle.
When James Woods discovered that there was a blank cartridge in the rifle which could have damaged his head, he refused to continue with the scene, resulting in another of the many fierce arguments between the cast and crew.
Director Oliver Stone had a very hard time getting funding for this film. He was forced to put a second mortgage on his house to get finance until British producer John Daly pledged his support to the project. The film was made on a budget of just under $5 million.