WRITER: Jeff Maguire.
PRODUCER: Jeff Apple.
CO-PRODUCER: Robert J. Rosenthal.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Gail Katz, Wolfgang Petersen and David Valdes.
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Ennio Morricone.
DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia Pictures.
BOX OFFICE OPENING: $15.2 million (USA)
BOX OFFICE RESULT: $102.3 million (USA)
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $187.3 million
- Several of the scenes with the President campaigning were actually taken from the 1992 campaign of President Bill Clinton.
- In the UK release of the film, the scene where Mitch Leary kills the bank clerk and her room-mate was edited so the audience did not witness the physical breaking of each of their necks. John Malkovich also wanted to include the killing of the dog in this scene but director Wolfgang Petersen thought this was a little too much.
- Malkovich improvised the scene where he puts the gun into his mouth. Petersen liked it so much he left it in the film.
- The 63-year-old Clint Eastwood (with the help of a safety belt) actually did hang six stories above the ground on the ledge scene, although stuntmen did the jump and fall onto the fire escape.
- The phone number that Corrigan finds under the bed is the phone number for Sony Pictures.
- Eastwood's character (Frank Horrigan) chases a killer skilled in making miniature automobiles. In The Dead Pool (1988), Eastwood's character (Dirty Harry Callahan) pursues a killer who also makes miniature cars, using them as explosive devices.
- Three members of the acting troupe from the Steppenwolf company of Chicago are featured in this film: John Malkovich (who co-founded the company), Gary Cole and John Mahoney.
- An original trailer received bad reaction and was dropped immediately. It had "November 22, 1963" appearing in large letters on the screen. As Leary talked about how he was going to kill the president, a clock ticked away in the background, changing the 1963 to 1993, followed by a slam-cut to Horrigan saying "That's not going to happen".
- The phone number that Agent Chavez gives Horrigan for the San Diego field office is 619-UKELELE. This translates to 619-853-5353. The prefix 853 leads to the Time Announcement Service (the current time) when dialed in most California cities.
- Nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and Best Screenplay.
Horrigan: There's no fucking irony.
Leary: Think about it Frank. The same government that trained me to kill trained you to protect. And now you're trying to kill me while up on that rooftop I protected you.
Lilly: Well, that's the least he could do.
Frank: Good, I love public transportation.
Frank: You have a rendezvous with my ass, motherfucker!
Frank: Why don't we get together and have a drink? We could talk about that.
Mitch: Oh, I'd love to, but I think the less you know about me the better.
Frank: Oh, why?
Mitch: Because I'm planning to kill the President.
Frank: Oh, now you shouldn't have done and said that. It's a federal offense to threaten the President. You could go to jail, even if you don't mean it.
Mitch: I mean it all right. John F. Kennedy said all someone needs is a willingness to trade his life for the President's, right?
Frank: That's right.
Mitch: I'm willing.
Frank: No, but it's my job.