Danny Trejo makes a brief appearance as a tough convict murdered by Emerald (Basil Wallace), witnessed by Frank (Rutger Hauer).
Early on, a movie theater billboard is seen playing Marked for Death (1990). Basil Wallace, who played Emerald in this movie, played Screwface and his twin brother in that one.
This movie was nominated for an Emmy for sound editing.
The concept of convicts wearing explosive collars around their necks, which will explode if they get one hundred yards outside the prison, or separate from their "Wedlock" partner, was recycled from The Running Man (1987), in which Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and other convicts wore explosive collars around their necks, which would explode if they tried to escape, and if the perimeter was not deactivated.
A television movie made for HBO.