Stories from the set

The role of Vincent was offered to Colin Farrell.

The role of taxi driver Max could have been played by Adam Sandler, but in the end the role went to Jamie Foxx.

Val Kilmer was offered the role of the detective, but due to constant shooting delays the schedule shifted and coincided with the filming of the movie "Alexander" (2004). In the end, the actor chose to work under Oliver Stone.

James Newton Howard replaced Hans Zimmer, also due to a delay in the start of filming.

Russell Crowe could also have appeared in the project; he was supposed to get the role of Vincent. Edward Norton could have gotten this role as well.

The filming was supposed to take place in Manhattan, but director Michael Mann was unhappy with the location and decided to shoot all the material in Los Angeles.

To help Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx play their roles better, Michael Mann wrote hefty biographies of Vincent and Max, detailing various stages of the characters' lives.

Frank Darabont wrote a draft version of the screenplay back in September 2000. However, the script was subsequently substantially reworked.

When Max and Vincent visit Max's mother in the hospital, she says that Max "can stand in front of a mirror and talk to himself." Considering that Max is a taxi driver, this phrase is a reference to the "You talkin' to me?" scene from the film Taxi Driver (1976).

One of the photographs in Ada's room shows Mischa Barton. The other two photographs are stills from the TV series The Secret Recipe (1998) and Sister, Sister (1994).