This is the second Western in as many years for Candice Bergen which has a reputation for extreme brutality. The other was Soldier Blue (1970) released the year before.
The first of three films that Candice Bergen made with Gene Hackman in the 70s, the others being the equally reviled The Domino Principle (1977) and the much more acclaimed Bite the Bullet (1975). Although they only share a handful of scenes in this film, Bergen is on record as saying she learned more about film acting from Hackman in their films together than from any other quarter.
During filming Oliver Reed admitted he did not enjoy having to affect an American accent.
UK censorship rules regarding cruelty to animals mean that the opening scene - in which a cow gets its throat cut - is removed from UK prints.
A rare foray into film for TV veteran director Don Medford. This film and the In the Heat of the Night (1967) sequel The Organization (1971) were Medford's only theatrical releases.