The character of Hando was originally written for Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn. However, Mendelsohn did not look menacing when his head was shaved, whereas Russell Crowe had shaved his head, gotten into character, and had been persistently contacting Geoffrey Wright to reconsider his casting decision. When Wright decided Mendelsohn didn't have the look, the role went to Crowe.
In the early print of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival the sex scene with Daniel Pollock and Jacqueline McKenzie was even longer and more graphic than in any subsequent DVD release. There were very few edits, just one long sex scene that was obviously unsimulated as you could see insertion. In the DVD's commentary track, director Geoffrey Wright too confirmed that some of the sex onscreen was real.
When smashing the display glass in the mall scene, the actor Daniel Pollock did actually cut himself.
Russell Crowe's performance in this film is what convinced Curtis Hanson to cast him as Bud White in L.A. Confidential (1997)
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