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According to Andrew Niccol, the filmmakers worked with actual gunrunners in the making of the film. The tanks lined up for sale were owned by a gunrunner who had to have them back to sell to another country. They used a real stockpile of over 3,000 AK-47s because it was cheaper than getting prop guns. The gunrunners were more cooperative and efficient than the studio or the crew.
This film is based on actual events.
Yuri Orlov is a composite of five real arms dealers.
No US studios would back the film. Foreign finances were secured instead.
The tanks seen in the movie were real and belonged to a Czech arms-dealer.
Before shooting the scene where tanks were lined up for sale, the filmmaker had to warn NATO, lest they think a real war was being started when they see satellite images of the set.
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