Random Trivia For This Title: - The explosion on the Plaza was filmed by fifteen different cameras.
- A close look at the hotel maid after she is shot reveals that she was an undercover secret service agent, reaching for her firearm under the sheets on the trolley.
- In the original script, the tourist was a Russian named Lewicki. When Forest WhitakerForest Whitaker auditioned for a different role, Pete TravisPete Travis was so impressed that he rewrote the tourist as an American and offered the role to him.
- TV Executive Rex Brooks was originally written as a male. Director Pete TravisPete Travis changed it to a woman because he felt the movie lacked a strong female character.
- The city of Salamanca may have been chosen to poke fun at the many plot twists in the story. Salamanca (or Salamangka) is a common Tagalog (Filipino) word for "trick" or "sleight of hand." The Philippines were a Spanish colony from 1521 to 1898.
- The original script set the story in Madrid, but the producers wanted a more "exotic" location. The fact is revealed in some scenes, like the secret service guy who says they can't locate a single person among "5 or 6 million" (Madrid's population; Salamanca's is much smaller), or when the cop enters a Muslim neighborhood during the foot chase (Madrid has one, Salamanca doesn't).
- When shooting was moved to Mexico, the production design team built a replica of Salamanca's Plaza Mayor, which is slightly smaller than the original.
- Matthew FoxMatthew Fox, Eduardo NoriegaEduardo Noriega, Forest WhitakerForest Whitaker and director Pete TravisPete Travis attended the premiere, held in Salamanca, Spain, on February 12, 2008. City Hall declared them "Distinguished Guests."
- The studio originally wanted to shoot the entire film in Salamanca, Spain, but the local government refused to close the Plaza Mayor for nearly 3 months. Production was moved to Cuernavaca and Puebla, Mexico. Only the scenes filmed from the air were shot in Spain.
|