 Very little improvisation took place during the filming due to the directors ' extensive planning and clear vision for the film . Not everything went as expected , however , as the physical exchanges in the script caused some injuries . Barry Kivel , whose character Shelly was violently beaten in Caesar 's bathroom , received a head injury from his head being banged against the toilet . In the scenes between Corky and Caesar near the end of the film , Gina Gershon hit her hand so hard when she knocked a gun from Joe Pantoliano 's hand that she required stitches . 
