Emily Mortimer can speak Russian in real life.

This movie was partly inspired from co-writer and director Brad Anderson's youth when he rode the Transsiberian Express.

Lithuania stood in for Siberia.

This movie had the misfortune of opening on the same weekend as The Dark Knight (2008).

Among the references that Brad Anderson drew on were the movies North by Northwest (1959), Strangers on a Train (1951), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Runaway Train (1985), Dead Calm (1989), and the book "Crime and Punishment".