Trivia
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Spoilers (3)
Robert De Niro was reportedly the victim of several practical jokes pulled by Marlon Brando during filming, including a remote controlled electronic whoopee cushion.
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Marlon Brando refused to smile in his last scene in the movie, so his ever-so-slight smile was added in post-production by a computer.
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Many of the scenes inside the Montreal Customs House were filmed inside the actual building. The filmmakers built some temporary additions and used some CGI to suit their purposes. For instance, there is no elevator that goes down from the ground floor to the basement.
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Most of the tools techniques and tactics used in the movie were authentic and functional. They were suggested or provided by technical advisor Mick Gould.
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When fighting in Jackie's apartment, Burt is shown slamming Jackie's face into the kitchen counter twice. He was filmed doing it only once; the second slam was created with precise editing.
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During breaks, Marlon Brando would walk around the set naked because of the warm weather where the film was being shot.
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This is the only movie to star both Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, the first actors ever to both win Academy Awards for playing the same role, that of Vito Corleone in the The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II.
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The first scene with Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro talking at a table was shot with DeNiro on a tight schedule, giving the filmmakers only 30 minutes to set up the cameras and lighting.
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Marlon Brando took to calling director Frank Oz "Fozzy" and "Miss Piggy" during the movie. Oz is the voice of the Fozzy Bear and Miss Piggy characters in The Muppets. Brando's hazing of Oz over his work with the Muppets got so bad that Robert De Niro was forced to direct Brando instead, with Oz giving him instructions via headset.
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In Jackie's final scenes, he is wearing a Baltimore Orioles cap. Edward Norton is from the Baltimore suburb of Columbia and an avid Orioles fan; he took batting practice with the team to help publicize the movie's premiere in July 2001.
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The huge red ship in one shot is Orsula, a bulk carrier. It was built at at Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai, in 1996. Filmmakers hadn't planned to include Orsula in the background, but it spontaneously added production value.
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On December 15, 2011, Orsula went aground on the St. Lawrence River near Becancour, Quebec, Canada, not far from its appearance in the film. The incident was caused by loss of control due to rudder failure, and resulted in no injuries, pollution release, or property damage. Orsula itself was not heavily damaged.
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The thermic lance used on the safe is a real cutting tool. Pressurized oxygen is pumped through an iron tube full of iron rods. An oxyacetylene torch is used to heat and ignite the open end, creating a stream of burning iron. Producing a temperature of around 4,500 degrees C, a thermic lance can burn rapidly through concrete and steel.
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Spoilers
The filmmakers debated whether or not Jackie should kill Danny when he stumbles upon his scheme in the basement; ultimately they decided that Danny's kindness toward Jackie's fake alter ego Brian justified sparing his life.
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Episode 59 of the television show MythBusters put the myth of breaking into a safe the way Nick did to the test. Using a thermal lance like Nick, they were able to burn a hole into the same model safe, but it took a very long time and several thermal rods. The contents of the Mythbusters' safe were burned as well. The safe was not watertight so they had to seal it from the outside before filling it with water. However, the underwater explosion did blow the door off before the glass relocker mechanism could engage. Based on the safe door becoming dislodged and past police reports they determined it was "plausible".
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It was director of photography Rob Hahn's idea to have Nick taunt Jack with Brian's line "Okay, bye-bye" after tricking him at the end.
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