This film became so popular, that kids in Hong Kong started wearing long coats, known as "dusters" to copy the lead character in the film.
Upon its release, this went on to become the top-grossing film in Hong Kong film history and held that place for several years.
Chow Yun-Fat wore Alain Delon sunglasses in the movie. After the movie, Hong Kong was sold out of them. Delon sent Chow a personal thank you note.
Even though he is now universally known as an action hero, one of the main reasons John Woo wanted to cast Chow Yun-Fat because he didn't look like one.
The English title, "A Better Tomorrow", is the translated title of the song sung by the two school kids (in Mandarin) in the middle of the movie. It's a New Year's Eve song, usually sung by large groups.