It was the first action film starring Jeff Bridges, who was by then a 43-year old character actor. Bridges said he was always interested in the genre, particularly as his father, Lloyd Bridges (who co-stars in the film) appeared in "High Noon" fighting Gary Cooper. Hopkins said that Jeff Bridges was his first choice to play the lead. "I was very lucky that MGM backed me up, because he doesn't seem to be the obvious choice for this kind of genre film."