Carver thought the screenplay had a novel idea but it "was a very by the numbers script, it had a lot of problems, not just story wise but technically." He was friends and "shooting buddies" with John Milius and asked him to contribute some ideas, including advice on the guns the character used. In particular, Orion (who were financing the film) were unhappy with the opening sequence so Carver asked Milius to rewrite it. Milius did this, as well as providing input on guns in the script. Carver says Milius "was great to work with" but "didn't want credit".