The screenplay by Alessandro Camon was based on the French graphic novel Du plomb dans la tête written by Matz and illustrated by Colin Wilson.

The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christian Slater, and Jason Momoa.

Alexandra Milchan, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Kevin King-Templeton produced the film.

In New Orleans, hitman Jimmy Bobo and his partner Louis Blanchard kill a corrupt former WDCPD policeman, Hank Greely.

Decompressing at a bar, Blanchard is murdered by another hitman, Keegan, whose attempt to also kill Bobo fails.

Bobo and Kwon kidnap Baptiste and take him to Bobo's secret boathouse, where he is forced to hand over a flashdrive detailing an extensive corruption scheme put in place by Morel to replace low-rent housing projects with luxury condominiums.

Angered at Bobo's methods, Kwon abandons him and meets with Lieutenant Lebreton to ask for his help.

This culminates in an intense axe fight until Bobo stabs Keegan and Kwon shoots him dead.

In addition, Holt McCallany appears briefly as Hank Greely, Brian Van Holt as Ronnie "Cowboy Ronnie" Earl, while Dane Rhodes and Marcus Lyle Brown play crooked cops Lieutenant Lebreton and Detective Towne, respectively.

The film is based on Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tête ("Lead in the Head"), with a screenplay by Alessandro Camon under the working title "Headshot".

An executive attached to the film has said, "[This movie] is exactly the type of fast-paced, universally themed project that suits our business model.

"[3] Originally Wayne Kramer was attached to direct, but left the project when his vision of the film was darker than Stallone wanted.

[5] Hill later recalled: When Sly and I first talked about doing it, I told him I thought if we did it as an homage to ’70s or ’80s action films – and if he got a haircut and if we played it not at some nuclear level and left a little room for humor – everything would probably work out.

As long as you don't break the rules and contradict yourself within that sensibility, people go for the ride.... Sly and I have known each other for probably 35 years.

The role was recast at the insistence of producer Joel Silver, stating a need for a "more 'ethnic' actor" to appeal to a wider audience.

The album features the film's score, consisting of 15 tracks composed by Steve Mazzaro and produced by Hans Zimmer.

[14] Jay Weissberg of Variety called it "a kickass actioner driven by personality rather than plot".

[15] Stallone was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor for his performances in this film, Escape Plan and Grudge Match, which he lost to Jaden Smith for After Earth.