Based on real life bank robber Brenden Abbott, AKA "The Post Card Bandit" & his apprentice Brendan Berichon.
As he was playing a character moving in criminal circles, Brenton Thwaites got in contact with a former prisoner and spent time with him to learn more about the lifestyle. He copied a lot of the character traits and mannerisms from his contact who had been convicted at a very young age and had spent most of his adult life in prison.
An experienced stuntman himself, Nash Edgerton did the majority of his own stunt driving for the heist chase sequence.
A big fan of Michael Mann's work, director Julius Avery had Brenton Thwaites' character carry around a collage which featured an image of James Caan from Thief (1981).