According to "The Espionage Filmography", director Sam "Peckinpah claimed the film was botched in the final edit". In the February 1984 edition of Photoplay (UK), Peckinpah said he was happy with the final cut despite six minutes of scenes with humor being cut out which he said balanced the violence. According to Wikipedia, "The producers changed the opening sequence and deleted other scenes they deemed unnecessary. Peckinpah proclaimed that producers had once again sabotaged his film, a complaint he made after filming Major Dundee (1965) and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973). He was less vocal this time, mindful that studios and producers were keeping an eye on his behavior".