 Like Woos previous film, _Die xue shuang xiong (1989)_ (qv), this  did not do well in Hong Kong because audiences didnt like the  allusions to the Tienamen Square massacre during the riot scenes.  Woo was deeply affected by the massacre and felt badly that he  touched such a raw nerve in people, but at the same time he felt the  Chinese people should react and not hide from it.