FAQ

This seems to be intentionally ambiguous. The movie is certainly done as a 70's style noire film. They only use rotary phones, most of the cars are older models. Though several cars in the background seem to be more modern. The guy Porter steals the wallet off of at the start has a birth date of 1940 and the guy clearly wasn't 59, so it possibly takes place in the late 70s or early 80s.

It's more likely that she left Johnny in a hotel. So he would eventually be found by house keeping. Otherwise, they could have stopped by the place and released him on their way out of town or called someone from a payphone on where to find him.

Overall the theatrical version is a little funnier, easier accessable and more spectacular Porter is far more likable and witty in the theatrical version as well. For example, at the start of the film, we see a homeless man shouting "spare change for a cripple" and so on. Porter takes change out of the man's hat and the man immediately stands up and tries to stop him. Porter hits him in the throat and says "Shut up. I cured you.". Revealing the "cripple" to be a con man, Porter seeing through his ruse, and the stealing/hitting somewhat more justified to the viewer. In the director's cut, the homeless man doesn't say anything, Porter takes the change, the man tries to stop him and Porter hits him in the throat and continues on without a word spoken. There is also a scene in the director's cut where Porter beats his wife. Making him even more unlikable.

In the spring of 2006 the Director's Cut was produced and it comes close to Helgeland's original version. The latter, however, probably never existed as a final cut. The Director's Cut still differs a little from it. Still, both cuts of the movie present different films with changing plots and message.

Unfortunately not. One scene in which a butterfly knife is used, was censored. These cuts were waived for the Blu-ray release.

It's not so much a remake as it is another version of the novel both films are based on.