According to Christopher Boyce, the employees in the Black Vault actually did use the paper shredder to blend margaritas.
Timothy Hutton spent six months in Santa Cruz, California learning falconry with technical advisor John Moran. Moreover, Hutton also studied countless press clippings from Christopher Boyce's trial and watched hours of television interviews with Boyce as well as visiting Boyce at Marion Penitentiary in Illinois as research for his role.
Director John Schlesinger and Sean Penn never got along during production. It got to the point where they were not on speaking terms.
Christopher Boyce was released on parole in March 2003. Andrew Daulton Lee was paroled in 1998.