This was the first movie in which Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Biao Yuen ("the Three Brothers") appeared together. They all attended the same opera school in Hong Kong and worked on several more movies, including the highly successful "Lucky Stars" film franchise.
According to rumor, Jackie Chan's role was originally intended for a South Korean actor, but Writer and Director John Woo thought the South Korean was too old and slow, and so fired him and brought in Chan instead. However, this story is contradicted in the new DVD commentary, as Fight Choreographer Sammo Kam-Bo Hung is quoted as saying Jackie was in from the beginning.
This was one of Writer John Woo's first movies as a director. He's listed as "John Y. Woo" in the credits.
Despite not sharing any screen time together (apart from Sammo Hung), the film marks the only feature collaboration of full Golden Trio from members of Seven Little Fortunes from China Drama Academy Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Biao Yuen and Shaw Brother's Venom Mob from Taiwanese Fu Sheng Opera school Sheng Chiang, Feng Lu, and Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok who appears as an extra in the beginning of the film.