The henchman with heaps of tattoos is well-known Gold Coast figure Tim Ward, the owner of several Surfers Paradise nightclubs.
The "Israeli method" that David Wenham's character is pursuing to get clean from heroin, is a real treatment- An accelerated opiate withdrawal using naltrexone, which was new and popular (but expensive) during the "Heroin crisis" that Australian cities suffered, during the late 90's and early 00's.
The writer, Chris Nyst, is a prominent criminal lawyer who has represented Peter Foster and Pauline Hanson, among others.