The movie was originally set to film in Minneapolis, but the main character portrayed by Eastwood, Walt Kowalski, is a retired autoworker. Eastwood ultimately felt that Detroit made much more sense for the setting.
Eastwood moved the production to Detroit and used many of its suburbs and neighborhood such as Warren and Royal Oak to film the action.
Two of the key scenarios of the film were neighboring houses belonging to Kowalski and another family with which he was interacting. Eastwood's production team found two houses close to each other in Detroit for this purpose.
The production crew made the exterior of the surrounding homes look aged and in a state of disrepair, while keeping Kowalski's home in good shape. This was necessary to convey the sense of pride Eastwood's character had in his home despite it now existing in a blighted neighborhood.
The film was the first major work centered on the Hmong people, a group that traces its roots to various tribes in Southeast Asia. The various Hmong characters in the film are Kowalski's friends and enemies.