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. Though when Porter is scouting for someone to pickpocket, a woman can be seen talking on a cell phone. Though it is a large "brick" style one. Which were in use in the early 80s to early 90s. One of the Chinese in the van can be seen firing a first generation Glock 17, which were available in 1982.

So best estimates are; the film takes place in 1983-1985.

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. Kris Kristofferson is also not in the director's cut, his character is instead a woman who is only ever heard on the phone. There's a much higher body count in the theatrical cut as well. In the director's cut, the film ends with a shootout at a train station where Porter gets shot. It's left ambiguous if the wound was fatal.

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.