Cast the Runner-Up: Spike Lee gave Denzel Washington the opportunity to play either Keith Frazier or Dalton Russell. He turned down the latter, citing concerns over the character's disguise.
Creator's Oddball: Spike Lee, whose whole career to this point had been deliberately controversial films about race relations, is here just a hired hand on a standard suspense film. That said, some race commentary was still worked in, whether by Lee himself or the writers, particularly the scenes involving the Sikh hostage. Also, bear in mind this was also the first major film about such a crime in New York post-9/11. A lot of the tensions and attitudes of the police and hostages were due to this. Lee does a good job of demonstrating how much his hometown had changed.
Stillborn Franchise: There was talk of sequels and maybe developing a franchise where Frazier and Russell would butt heads over multiple heists but, despite this film's financial success, funding couldn't be acquired and the project was quietly shelved.
Throw It In!: The scene in the coffee shop was improvised. Spike Lee states on the DVD Commentary that when Denzel Washington ad-libbed the line "I'll bet you can get a cab though," he nearly ruined the take by laughing so loud at Washington's line.
