On his last night of shooting, David Carradine was upset at the producers about something and refused to leave his trailer. He was drinking while arguing with them, so when he finally agreed to go to the set at 11:00 pm, he was pretty drunk. Fred Open Ray said he had to pick him up fireman's carry style and put him on his mark, saying, "Now, stand there, godammit, and do the scene!" Carradine then kissed him, picked up the Director of Photography and spun him around his head, and then did the scene.
Lee Van Cleef originally turned the script down, so Fred Olen Ray went to his house to find out what he didn't like about it. He then had the entire script rewritten to Van Cleef's liking, and Van Cleef agreed to do the part. Ray said he really liked Van Cleef and enjoyed working with him.
The film received several good reviews and was responsible for turning Fred Olen Ray's career around. It led to contracts and opportunities with other studios,
The screenplay originally titled The Jade Jungle.
The song that Lauren Roth picks to play on the jukebox after Jace Smith's "Emily" ends is "Kicks" composed by Ricky Phillips and Tane McClure (who was called by Tane Cain at the time. She was married to Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist/rhythm guitarist of Journey, the lead singer of the indie rock band Tryanglz.