Variety reported in May 2009 that Dwayne Johnson was in final negotiations for his role, with Phil Joanou attached to direct at the time.

By September 2009, Phil Joanou had dropped out of directing the film, and George Tillman Jr. was brought on to direct instead.

Salma Hayek was originally considered for the role of Detective Cicero but dropped out just a week before filming began due to scheduling issues; she was replaced by Carla Gugino.

Principal photography began on February 8, 2010, in Los Angeles, California, and continued in Pasadena and Santa Clarita, California.

The Chevrolet Chevelle driven by the character Driver in the film is a mismatched build, featuring the rear of a 1971 or 1972 model but the front of a 1970 model, likely meant to evoke the rare and valuable 1970 Chevelle SS 454.

The film's original score was composed by Clint Mansell, and the soundtrack also features the song "En mi viejo San Juan," composed by Noel Estrada and performed by Mexican singer and actor Javier Solís.

On Rotten Tomatoes, only 41% of 128 critics' reviews were positive with an average rating of 4.9/10, while Metacritic gave the film a score of 44 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews; audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a "C+" grade.