Rourke publicly feuded with the studio boss during filming, unhappy that emphasis was placed on action over the dramatic script, for which he had signed on. He stated that the studio boss should have hired Chuck Norris for the resulting version.
To research his role as I.R.A. activist Martin Fallon, Mickey Rourke spent time with some real-life I.R.A. personnel.
The Director's Cut by Mike Hodges apparently exists. Hodges originally had John Scott compose the music. However, the producers decided that they didn't like the score, and then hired Bill Conti to redo the music. Also, after watching Hodges' cut, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. re-cut the movie for an American action movie audience.
The piece of music Martin Fallon (Mickey Rourke) plays on the organ is a fugue, BWV 578, by Johann Sebastian Bach.