The main three actors all appeared in films of the James Bond franchise: Carole Bouquet was a Bond girl in For Your Eyes Only (1981), Christopher Walken played villain Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (1985) and Jonathan Pryce later played villain Elliott Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Along with those, the book written by Carole's character is called "Bond Street".
Christopher Walken says the role of Vanni Corso in this movie is more like himself than any other character he's ever played.
The film cast includes one Oscar winner: Christopher Walken; and two Oscar nominees: Jonathan Pryce and Tom Wilkinson.