The film originally wanted to get a hand from the military, but after reading the script, the public relations department of the Ministry of National Defense rejected it on the grounds that "no one of our soldiers is a good person"
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The footage of the Iraq War was shot at Indian Cliffs Ranch, a suburb of El Paso, the westernmost city in Texas. After the shooting, many props stayed in the local area and became a landscape that attracts tourists.
When filming the training camp, students from the Military Academy of Texas A&M University acted as extras.
This is the first movie produced by Fox 2000 Pictures to be shown in theaters.
The setting of the White House Garden was destroyed twice: once by a tornado and once by a sandstorm.
Matt Damon lost 40 pounds for this film. Due to strict weight-loss diet and training, Matt Damon became very poor after filming, and even needed medical attention for a few months after filming. But his hard work paid off. Director Francis Ford Coppola was very impressed with his performance in the film, so he played the leading role in the 1997 film "Rainmaker".
The story of the film is inspired to some extent by the real events described in the movie "Black Hawk Down"
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