Trivia

James Woods and Jeff Bridges both loved working with Richard Widmark, and fondly remembered the late actor's love of pancakes. He used to have a plate waiting for him while shooting a scene, and Woods and Bridges would often hide it. Widmark refused to go back to shooting before the cakes had been recovered.

On the subject of El poder y la pasión (1984) being a remake of Traidora y mortal (1947), a notable "film noir" starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer, director Taylor Hackford commented: "Certainly, we've tried to retain certain qualities from the original film, mainly the electric, dangerous interaction of the three main characters. However, the story itself, the background of the characters and the setting are very different. I think we've come up with a film that deals with the unique nature of power in Los Angeles and how that power consumes and almost destroys the three main characters. Years from now I can see theaters playing this version and the original on the same bill and the audience seeing two very different films".

The spectacular Mexican locations in Yucatan and Quintana Roo in Mexico included the colorful resort island of Cozumel; a fishing village on the picturesque island of Isla Mujures off the coast of Cancun; Tulum, the Mayan-Toltec ruins overlooking the Caribbean; and the famous ruins of Chichen Itza in the jungles of Yucatan. This movie was the first time that permission had ever been granted by the Mexican Government to use these sacred ruins for a theatrical motion picture.

Phil Collins was contacted by director Taylor Hackford to record a song for the movie. Collins had written "Against All Odds" (originally entitled "How Can You Just Sit There?") for his first solo album, "Face Value" (released in 1981), and it was one of many songs on the album which were about his first wife, who had left him. Collins had left the song off the album because he felt he had enough ballads on "Face Value" already and he hadn't included it on his second solo album, "Hello, I Must Be Going", either. After Taylor Hackford's request for a song, he decided to return to it and recorded it in two days, one day in New York, the other in Los Angeles, aided by legendary record producer Arif Mardin.

The movie was shot in Mexico while Rachel Ward was on her honeymoon. She had fantastic chemistry with her costar Jeff Bridges and they had some pretty torrid sex scenes. "It was a particularly bizarre shoot for us. Luckily her husband, Bryan Brown, is also a wonderful actor, and a very understanding one! "-Bridges said.