Trivia

Jodie Foster made $15 million for this, the most she's been paid for any movie.

Terrence Howard shadowed Neil Carter, a veteran NYPD homicide detective, to research his role. Carter's first job as a movie consultant was on Jodie Foster's Inside Man (2006).

Before Jodie Foster was attached to this movie, the character of Erica was supposed to be a newspaper reporter. Foster changed her job to radio host because she thought that her being a print journalist "didn't set a mood for the film and it wasn't as compelling in terms of the narrative" as being a radio reporter was. Foster also wanted to specify that Erica worked for the real news organization National Public Radio, but NPR declined to allow their name to be used in the movie because of the vigilante aspects of the plot.

It was Jodie Foster's idea for Erica to record sounds of the city for her radio show. Foster walked for miles all around Manhattan with headphones on to prepare for the role.

Jodie Foster studied the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder when researching this role.