The Seven Five is based on the 2014 documentary of the same name from director Tiller Russell and producer Eli Holzman. That film centered around a corrupt NYPD precinct in the '80s and its ringleader Michael Dowd, who was arrested in 1992 with a handful of other dirty cops who stole money and drugs. He served 14 years in prison, and his arrest exposed widespread corruption among the New York police force.