When Chuck Norris was offered the lead role of the film, he was in the process of establishing a new kick-boxing league in Los Angeles with Benny Urquidez. Norris cites his decision to pursue the movie over the league as a defining point in his transition from martial arts competition to acting.
Chuck Norris' first film as a Vietnam veteran; it would later become the basis for his role in the Missing In Action films during the 1980s. Co-star Soon-Tek Oh would later co-star in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985) as the film's villain.
The film was part of a cycle of 1970s conspiracy movies. These included: Executive Action (1973), Klute (1971), Chinatown (1974), Cutter's Way (1981), Telefon (1977), Winter Kills (1979), The Conversation (1974), The Parallax View (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Domino Principle (1977), Good Guys Wear Black (1978), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), Hangar 18 (1980), Capricorn One (1977), and All the President's Men (1976). Blow Out (1981) would follow in the early 1980s.
Norris plays a character named Booker in this movie. Many years later, Norris starred in The Expendables 2 (2012), playing another character named Booker.