| |
|
The film was distributed by United Artists; studio executives were initially reluctant to go ahead with the project as they feared that the extreme profanity and violence in the screenplay would draw an "X" from the MPAA ratings board. However, Scorsese and DeNiro reworked the script and were able to proceed.
The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.