In February 2016, two reports were made to the London Metropolitan Police about a "terrorist attack" made on the Lambeth bridge, after many local citizens were not told about a controlled stunt explosion made on a double decker bus for this movie.
Liam Hennessy (Pierce Brosnan) is based on Northern Irish politicians Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Adams was actively involved in the Irish Republican movement, although he denies having been a member of the I.R.A. (a claim contested by many). He later became the leader of Sinn Féin, the political branch of the I.R.A., and was heavily involved in establishing a lasting peace accord in Northern Ireland. Hennessy even shows physical resemblance to Adams (short gray hair, full beard, glasses). Adams was never Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland. That position was filled by Martin McGuinness. In this movie, Hennessey describes a previous nickname, "Butcher of the Bogside" when referring to his terrorist past. Martin McGuinness was known as "Butcher of the Bogside".
Despite the change from the novel's original title of "The Chinaman", Quan (Jackie Chan) is still referred to as such six times in the movie.
The name of Jackie Chan's character, "Quan Ngoc Minh", suggests that he is Vietnamese, but of Chinese origin. "Ngoc Minh" would be a Vietnamese name, but "Quan" is not a common Vietnamese surname. (The first and last names are reversed in some Asian cultures; in Western format his name would be "Ngoc Minh Quan".)