Mel Stewart's film debut.
Wayne Rogers' film debut.
Harry Belafonte starred in this, the first film-noir with a black protagonist. Belafonte selected Abraham Polonsky, who had written and directed a famous noir, Force of Evil, to write the script. As a blacklisted writer Polonsky used a front, John O. Killens, a black novelist and friend of Belafonte's. (In 1997, the Writers Guild of America officially restored Polonsky's credit.)
Shelley Winters took the part without reading the script, based on her co-stars, director Robert Wise, and the fact that it would film in New York City.
James Ellroy called it "just the best heist-gone-wrong movie ever made".
French director Jean-Pierre Melville credited this film with being a formative influence on his work and made references to it in his films.
In some scenes, Robert Wise used infra-red film to give them a slightly distorted feel.
One of the first productions from Harry Belafonte's own company, HarBel Productions.
The last film in standard aspect ratio to be made by Robert Wise.
The original title for the movie was suppose to have been 'Reach For Tomorrow'.