This movie was initially poorly received and booed at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival in 1969.
This film is considered as the first part of a black-and-white Gangster Film Trilogy by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, the subsequent films being Gods of the Plague (1970) and The American Soldier (1970).
Despite being one of the lead actors in the film, Rainer Werner Fassbinder is not credited for his role.