The box office flop of this movie caused Steven Seagal's multi-picture contract with Warner Bros. Pictures to end. However, he would work with them one last time for Exit Wounds (2001) and that movie proved to be a box office success.
Just as production started on location in Kentucky, it emerged that a real EPA investigation was taking place nearby. Steven Seagal invited the EPA official to visit the set so he could chat with him about environmental issues and what he did.
Warner Bros. wanted to make sure that Fire Down Below has the same fast pace and short running time like all the other Steven Seagal films he made for them in the previous years, so just like they did with all of those films, they heavily re-edited the movie and deleted lot of the plot and character scenes. They also removed several big action sequences, on which much of the $60 million budget was spent.
These include opening action sequence involving Taggart and his partner Frank, who originally had lot more scenes but those were removed and entire original opening of the film was re-edited into few minutes long opening montage in the final cut of the film. Other deleted action sequences include really big and complicated chase scene which took place at night in woods and hills and it involved police cars chasing tanker truck full of toxic waste which eventually crashes into a train on the river bridge. Scene where Taggart kills second corrupt FBI agent by burning him alive in gas station explosion was also cut out and changed so that in the film he leaves him alive. Trailers for the film show many parts of deleted and alternate scenes including deleted action sequences.
These include opening action sequence involving Taggart and his partner Frank, who originally had lot more scenes but those were removed and entire original opening of the film was re-edited into few minutes long opening montage in the final cut of the film. Other deleted action sequences include really big and complicated chase scene which took place at night in woods and hills and it involved police cars chasing tanker truck full of toxic waste which eventually crashes into a train on the river bridge. Scene where Taggart kills second corrupt FBI agent by burning him alive in gas station explosion was also cut out and changed so that in the film he leaves him alive. Trailers for the film show many parts of deleted and alternate scenes including deleted action sequences.
When Bruce Willis was attached as the lead, the screenplay by Jeb Staurt, was more a drama with detective elements. When Seagal came aboard after Willis departed, writer Phillip Morton was brought in to convert the material into an action film that incorporated the genre staples Seagal was famous for.
In Spain this movie was promoted as a sequel to On Deadly Ground (1994), hence the Spanish title, "En tierra peligrosa 2".