The Paula Gosling novel the movie is based on was previously the basis for the earlier action movie Die City-Cobra (1986) with Sylvester Stallone which had been made and released around nine years earlier. As such, this makes Fair Game (1995) the second filmed adaptation's of Gosling's novel "Fair Game" (1974) which was originally published as "A Running Duck".

Actresses Julianne Moore and Geena Davis were originally considered for the role of Kate McQuean. Moreover, actresses Brooke Shields and Drew Barrymore were each offered the role of Kate McQuean, but both turned down the part. In the end, the lead female role was cast with model and actress Cindy Crawford.

Salma Hayek only took her part in the film after insisting that she rewrite it.

Mark Mancina replaced Michael Kamen as the movie's music composer. Kamen was the film's original composer along with his friend, David Sanborn, who was going to provide the saxophone solos for the score. His score was rejected after the film was delayed with re-shoots and post-production issues. The film's original posters list Kamen and Sanborn as the composers. Mancina would replace Kamen and it was the second time that he would replace him on a film in the same year, the other being on Assassins - Die Killer (1995) which also was produced by producer Joel Silver, with its release also delayed, the two pictures actually releasing within months of each other.

Keanu Reeves turned down the lead male role of Max Kirkpatrick.

The movie was originally set in San Francisco, but was changed to Miami to suit Sylvester Stallone, who subsequently left the project. Stallone had previously starred in Die City-Cobra (1986) which was also based on the same Paula Gosling novel as Fair Game (1995)

A theatrical trailer shows some deleted and alternate scenes from original cut of the movie before it was partially re-shot and re-edited. These include: An alternate interrogation scene between Kate McQuean (Cindy Crawford) and Max Kirkpatrick (William Baldwin) in the beginning of the film where he asks her some questions and she says that nobody tried to kill her; another extended part of this scene where she asks him does he has problem with lawyers and he says that he's a cop and that it's "written on the badge"; alternate dialogue between the two while they are driving in car at night where he says that they can't trust any cops and when she asks him why she should trust him he says because he hasn't shoot her yet and adds a line "Night's still young"; an additional scene where he gives her the gun and when she says that she doesn't know how to shoot he says it's just like using a camera, just point and shoot; an additional scene where Kirkpatrick asks McQuean will she hit him but she says the "Night's still young", which is same line he said to her in another deleted scene shown in the trailer.

This is Cindy Crawford's only starring role in a film.

The name of the plastic explosive was "Semtex". According to the Wikipedia website, it "is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications". The site also states, according to Hiltmar Schubert in "Detection of Explosives and Landmines: Methods and Field Experience", pp. 93-101, "Semtex became notoriously popular with terrorists because it was, until recently, extremely difficult to detect."

Reportedly, screenwriter Steven E. de Souza was apparently brought on board for re-writes and re shoots.

The picture's European release ran for about eight minutes longer and contained less violence but more sex and nudity.

Initally, the movie ran for 95 minutes, but after re-edits and re-shoots, the picture came in at 91 minutes. After negative test screenings, Warner Bros. cut some scenes and re-shot others. In the original version, _Rush Hour_ star Elizabeth Peña played Max Kirkpatrick (William Baldwin)'s ex-girlfriend, hence her name on the film's one-sheet poster. Lead stars 'Cindy Crawford' and William Baldwin also shot additional scenes to help boost the relationship between the two characters. Crawford also shot additional scenes on her own to help develop her character. The extra filming, re-shoots, re-writes, additional photography, and re-editing caused the movie's release to be delayed by about three months.

According to the TCMDb (Turner Classic Movies Database): "In July 1995, actor-writer Wendell Wellman filed a [US] $1.5 million lawsuit against Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. claiming the film is based on the screenplay he submitted to the studio in 1984. In addition to damages, the lawsuit also requests that the screenplay rights revert to Wellman."

The film was made and released about twenty-one years after its source novel of the same name by Paula Gosling, which is also known as "A Running Duck", had been first published in 1974.

The movie's source novel "A Running Duck" (1974) (aka "Fair Game") won The John Creasey Memorial Award (now known as the CWA New Blood Dagger Award) from the British Crime Writers' Association (CWA) for the Best First Novel of the Year in 1978.

Second of three major theatrical feature films entitled with a "Fair Game" title in twenty-five years. The first was the outback Australian thriller Hunting Season (1986) and the third was the American spy drama thriller Fair Game - Nichts ist gefährlicher als die Wahrheit (2010) starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. During this quarter century period, there has also been Fair Game (2005), Mamba (1988) (aka "Mamba" / "Fair Game"), as well as the tele-movie Fair Game (1994).

Salma Hayek only took on the role of Max Kirkpatrick's girlfriend after getting the part completely rewritten from the role that Elizabeth Pena was originally signed for. In the end, Hayek only appeared in one scene.

The name of the sea vessel featured in the action sequence at the end of the film was "TORTUGA".

This is the only film directed by Andrew Sipes.

Actor Dan Hedaya had a bigger part which was cut out of the picture.

The nick-name of Leonid Volkov (Paul Dillon) was "The Hacker" whilst the nick-name of Kathryn McQuean (Cindy Crawford) was "Kate".

The meaning of the Russian phrase "Zapadny Zavod" spoken in the film was "Death to the West".

Kate McQuean (Cindy Crawford), according to computer screen information about the character's identity in the film, states her full name to be Kathryn A. McQuean, and her address to be 3401 E Mt Vernon [East Mount Vernon], Miami Shores, Florida, 33136, USA.

The age and date of birth of Kate McQuean (Cindy Crawford, according to computer screen information about the character's identity in the film, gives her character's date of birth as 15th March 1969, making her character about twenty-six years old around the time of the release year of the movie. Similarly, the age and date of birth of Max Kirkpatrick (William Baldwin), according to computer screen information about the character's identity in the film, is 23rd June 1965, making his character about thirty years old around the time of the release year of the movie.

Intelligence agencies referenced and/or featured in the film include the FBI, the KGB, and Interpol.

The famous news anchor from Mobile Alabama, Bob Grip, makes a one second appearance in the film