The finished film was primarily centered on Dennis Hopper's character, but due to Wesley Snipes's popularity at the time, Warner Bros., which bought the film in the US, decided to shorten most of his scenes, to strengthen Snipes's role. Other cuts were made to beef up the pacing. The cuts included the loss of several scenes between Mortensen and his girlfriend. In an interview, director James B. Harris stated that he did not have the final cut and that Warner Bros. removed ten minutes from the pic in an attempt to make it more commercial. He noted that they also changed the title from Money Men to Boiling Point, in a bid to sell it as an action picture, similar to Passenger 57. Dennis Hopper, who felt he delivered his best performance, did not like the version that was ultimately released.
Andy Garcia was considered for the lead role before Wesley Snipes was cast.
Max Waxman, the character played by Jonathan Banks, was also present in Viver e Morrer em Los Angeles (1985) played by Christopher Allport. Both films are adaptations from Gerald Petievich's novels.
Director James B. Harris originally wanted an orchestral score to accompany the film, but Warner Bros. over-ruled him and hired composers to give the film a more "contemporary" sound. Harris feels the score that was used sounds like a TV movie score in some places.
The film was entirely financed by French movie house Le Studio Canal.