According to Keenen Ivory Wayans, one time during production, after waiting for a long time for Steven Seagal to finally show up on the set (he was known for not caring for the time when filming was to start, and would always show up very late), Seagal appeared with some script and said how it was the greatest script he ever read in his entire life. When Wayans asked him who wrote it, Seagal responded by saying; "I did."
After the film was completed, Warner Brothers conducted additional editing on the film to make it faster, and more like a regular Steven Seagal movie. Cut scenes included several comedic and dramatic exchanges between Campbell ([Keenen Ivory Wayans]) and Cole ([Steven Seagal]) and a great deal of Michelle Johnson's scenes, as Cole's wife, Jessica, were cut.
Originally envisioned as a much larger action picture, similar in scope to L'ultimo boy scout - Missione: sopravvivere (1991). Several action scenes were removed to cut down the budget. They included the bombing of a boat owned by Campbell (who lived on a houseboat instead of in an apartment), an encounter between Cole and a SWAT team that has raided his house and the final confrontation and gunfight at the Los Angeles museum.
Steven Seagal championed Trevor Rabin as the composer of the film. Years earlier Rabin, an avid guitar enthusiast like Seagal, had coached and trained Seagal with his guitars.