Synopsis

Former Special Ops soldier Nick Gunar is recruited to lead a team of mercenaries to a remote island in the South China Sea. Their mission is to secure rights to a valuable natural resource, but the operation brings them into conflict with a ruthless corporation and the island's threatened local community. Gunar gradually turns against his employers and fights to protect the islanders.

Factoids & Trivia

• Filming took place in Thailand, including Krabi and Phang Nga, with additional work in Chicago. Principal photography ran from October 25 to December 18, 1993, and production was completed in January 1994.

• Dolph Lundgren described Krabi as relatively undeveloped at the time. The same region later became associated with the filming of The Beach.

• The original screenplay was written by John Sayles, with Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris also credited for the finished screenplay. The production subsequently shaped the material into a more action-oriented film.

• Lundgren said the film used an experienced former American Special Forces officer as its military adviser. He also recalled unusual difficulties transporting firearms into Thailand, where the production was working in a region affected by civil conflict.

• The character was originally named Nick Riley. The name was changed to Nick Gunar, making him Swedish and marking the first time Lundgren played a Swedish character.

• Miramax acquired the distribution rights after favorable test screenings, but the promised theatrical release did not happen in the United States. The film was eventually released on home video there on December 19, 1995.

• The Swedish exclamation "Spring, era javlar!" ("Run, you bastards!") became a cult quote in Sweden.