Gene Hackman at one point was interested in playing Hoke Moseley while Fred Ward initially wanted to portray Frederick J. Frenger Jr.
A framed photograph of Miami Blues author Charles Willeford can be seen on Hoke Moseley's desk in the police station.
Fred Ward originally wanted Jonathan Demme to direct this film. However, Demme suggested to Ward that George Armitage should both write and direct this movie.
Suzanne Vega was up for the role of Susie Waggoner. She dropped out to make her third album "Days of Open Hand".
The film was produced by Jonathan Demme and contains as part of cast and crew many individuals who worked in previous and future films directed by Demme. In the cast, actors Obba Babatundé, Charles Napier' who are regular cast members in several Demme films; producers Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt and Gary Goetzman' - who also appear as actors in this movie; Martine Beswick was in Melvin and Howard (1980) and Alec Baldwin was in Married to the Mob (1988); the cinematography was provided by Tak Fujimoto; editing by Craig McKay; costumed designer Eugenie Bafaloukos worked as costume supervisor in Something Wild (1986) and casting director was Howard Feuer.