Oliver Stone previously wished to make a film about Manuel Noriega and considered Al Pacino and Jean-Claude Van Damme to play him.
Al Pacino signed on to play Noriega for $10m on a pay or play basis. When the project didn't go ahead, Pacino declined to take the paycheck, telling Oliver Stone he'd wait to get paid if he worked with him in the future. The pair later re-teamed for " Any Given Sunday ".
Near the end of the movie, the Nuncio warns Noriega that if he isn't careful, he'll end up like Mussolini, strung up by his heels. Bob Hoskins, who played Noriega, had already met that fate in the 1985 movie biography of Mussolini, whom he played.
When Oliver Stone was planning his Noriega biopic, he approached Clint Eastwood to play George Bush. Clint declined.
Features Rosa Blasi's first and only nude scene.