Alternate versions

The Australian theatrical and home entertainment versions all have the violence intact, but the Aussie version features the happier, more upbeat ending -- deleting the truck chase/explosion.

In the TV2 broadcast of the film in New Zealand, Maddox's graphic death was removed. It cuts from Maddox being blasted in the stomach to Brennick's reaction when Maddox falls to his death and Brennick gouging his eyes in the mind wipe sequence is removed and is cut from Brennick screaming to the next scene and all 'F' words are removed.

The Australian theatrical and home video versions run for 91 minutes and the film has a completely different ending.

German TV version is edited for violence and gore to attain a "Not under 16" certificate.

The 18-rated German Video Release by Columbia TriStar is also cut for violence and gore. For example the two "exploding-body-scenes" (the scene during the entry into the fortress and the death of prisoner 187) are shortened.

In one version, after escaping The Fortress they simply drive the truck through the Mexican border. In another version after escaping The Fortress, they stop at a farm. Zed 10-V takes over the truck and runs down one of the escapees. Christopher Lambert shoots up the truck, forcing it to veer away from him at the last moment, where it crashes into the barn and the whole structure explodes. He thinks his wife is killed but it turns out she has escaped from the barn before the truck has crashed into it.

The US R rated version is slightly cut in two places. When the claustrophobic prisoner (Alan Zitner) is killed at the beginning an extra shot of blood oozing out of the wound is missing. Also D Day's (Jeffrey Combs) death has been shortened.

The UK video and laserdisc are uncut and contain the footage cut from the US version. The UK DVD is the cut version.