Trivia

After filming was completed, Woody Harrelson walked up to director Scott Cooper, hugged him and said "I have never wanted to shed a character so badly in my life".

Christian Bale learned to operate a furnace for the film and didn't use a double for his scenes inside the steel mill.

Casey Affleck spent about three months training extensively to achieve the wiry frame of a fighter.

In 2011, co-writer and director Scott Cooper promised Christian Bale that Cooper wouldn't make this thriller without him. Unfortunately, Bale's schedule didn't permit him to participate in the project, but Bale couldn't get the story out of his mind. Later on, Bale's schedule cleared up, and the shooting of the film commenced in April 2012.

The movie playing at the drive-in theater during the first scene is The Midnight Meat Train (2008).