Russian roulette
The film was based in part on an unproduced screenplay called "The Man Who Came to Play" by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker, about Las Vegas and Russian roulette. Producer Michael Deeley, who bought the script, hired writer/director Michael Cimino who, with Deric Washburn, rewrote the script, taking the Russian roulette element and placing it in the Vietnam War. The film went over-budget and over-schedule, and ended up costing $15 million. The scenes depicting Russian roulette were highly controversial after the film's release. EMI Films, who produced the film, released the film internationally while Universal Pictures handled its distribution in North America.