Michael (Mickey) Prohaska (Greg Kinnear) is a small insurance agent who tries to boost his business and also searches for an opportunity to reunite with his wife Jo Ann (Lea Thompson), who lives apart from him, and to get away from the dreary weather and everyday life of Wisconsin. This self-appointed expert believes that it only takes a good story to conclude a sale. All that is needed for that is a person who believes the story. He thinks to have found such a person in the widowed and retired farmer Gorvy Hauer (Alan Arkin). As Mickey tries to sell contents insurance to Gorvy, he notices that this pensioner owns a treasure, which isn't covered by the insurance. This treasure is a newly inherited, rare violin. The old instrument turns out to be invaluable. So this seems like a good opportunity for Mickey to raise the sum insured to get a larger commission. But the situation gets out of control when an overzealous employee of a security company (Billy Crudup) comes into play and kills one of Gorvy's neighbors with a hammer...

The unrated director's cut was released exclusively on Blu-ray, as is usually done recently. Even though the additional footage is mostly just filler material, it's to be preferred over the theatrical version. Without the cheerful reggae music during the intro and with different music in general the unrated version appears to be a little bit more serious. Nevertheless, the movie is an average, predictable standard comedy with a lightweight protagonist, who works as an insurance agent and turns into a minor gangster.


The R-rated theatrical version was compared with the unrated director's cut for this report.

Running times:
R-Rated Theatrical Version: 89:35 min. NTSC (without end credits)
Unrated Director's Cut: 105:17 min. NTSC (without end credits)

There are missing 15 minutes and 42 seconds within 67 shots.

Thereof:

15 additional scenes in the unrated version: 7 minutes and 43 seconds
49 extended scenes in the unrated version: 11 minutes and 26 seconds
2 additional scenes in the R-rated version: 2 minutes and 37 seconds
1 extended scene in the R-rated version: 41 seconds

Additional Scene in the R-Rated:
00:00:25
There's an opening in the R-rated which evokes a kind of Caribbean feeling. During the song "Leave Our Worries" by "Serendipity" is shown a montage of palms, the beach and the sea. Mickey Prohaska chats with Jerry. There's a voice-over by the narrator.

R-Rated: 1 min. and 1 sec.

Narrator: "There is a saying. Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. Good advice. People will try and convince you of anything."

Differing Shots:
R-Rated: 00:00:25 / Unrated: 00:01:44
While the R-rated version begins with Mickey giving a talk, he's immediately shown sitting in a restaurant in the unrated version. The shots in this scene are different. This scene runs 15 seconds longer in the unrated due to a black screen during which the narrator can be heard.

Unrated: 15 sec.

R-Rated	Unrated

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:03:34 / Unrated: 00:01:53
Mickey stands a little bit longer at the craps table.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:03:39 / Unrated: 00:02:02
Mickey talks to one of his colleagues during a work party of the insurance company.

Unrated: 19 sec.

Mickey: "Great, here it comes. Same speech he gives every year."
Man: "Congrats on the award."
Mickey: "Whatever."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:03:05 / Unrated: 00:02:21
The conversation at the bar with another colleague is a little bit different.

Unrated: 9 sec.

Mickey: "What I'm really excited about it my personalized keychain. Look at this. Fourteen karat brass. Two decades of service and that's what I got to show for it."
Colleague: "Eh, well, we love you in the claims department. Uh... Zinfadel, white."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:04:04 / Unrated: 00:03:28
A bit more small talk with Bob Egan.

Unrated: 7 sec.

Mickey: "You were at the convention."
Bob: "Yeah, I'm with Southwest Mutual currently. But I'm just here doing a little networking."
Mickey: "All right, good luck with that."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:04:04 / Unrated: 00:03:28
On the way to the hotel suite Mickey and Sherri are shown a bit longer.

Unrated: 6 sec.

Sherri: "'Cause I got a bladder the size of a peanut."
Mickey: "Well, it's just, uh..."

Additional Scene in the R-Rated:
R-Rated: 00:05:21 / Unrated: 00:04:56
Sherri is shown seducing Mickey in his suite in the R-rated.

R-Rated: 1 min. and 36 sec.

Mickey: "All right, here's the bathroom."
Sherri: "Ooh! A suite."
Mickey: "Yeah."
Sherri: "Fancy. See? You are a winner."
Mickey: "Yeah."
Sherri: "Mini bar!"
Mickey: "Oh no. They charge you an arm and a leg for that. Don't open it. All right. I got an early morning meeting. OK? I think you mentioned you had a friend who could come and pick you up?"
Sherri: "Ha ha ha."
Mickey: "No, no, no, no. Listen. I'm sor... I gotta call it a night."
Sherri: "One for the road, OK? Come on."
Mickey: "All right, time to go. That's it."
Sherri: "OK. Ooh!"
Mickey: "Come on, this isn't a good idea. I'm tellin' ya. It's..."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:09:50 / Unrated: 00:08:01
At this point, the title is displayed in the unrated. A scene follows in which Mickey answers a call himself because his assistant Karla Gruenke is late.

Unrated: 1 min. and 1 sec.

Mickey: "Prohaska agency. Oh, no, he's not here right now, can I...?" Can I take a message? The what? No, we're not in the market for office furniture. I can't be answering my own phone. You're half hour late.
Karla: "I'm sorry, I had to take the bus. My car wouldn't start again."
Mickey: "Man, you need to get rid of that crummy thing once and for all."
Karla: "I know. I was waiting till I got a raise. I was supposed to remind you of that after the holidays."
Mickey: "Yeah, we gotta figure something out on that."

The employee Chuck Stankel comes into the office.

Karla: "Hi, Chuck."
Mickey: "Don't tell me, you came in for the free coffee."
Chuck: "I had an appointment in town."
Mickey: "Dressed like that? Jesus, Chuck, you ever hear of personal packaging?"
Chuck: "It was with Hank Starkwell over at the meat packers. It's freezing in there."
Mickey: "That's another thing. You need to stop spending time with existing policy holders. The big commissions are new sales."
Karla: "There's a trucker in Bristol on line one wanting to meet about coverage."
Mickey: "Just take a message. Tell... I'll give it to Bob."
Chuck: "Uh, so this Bob fellow... He's not gonna be cutting my territory, is he?"
Mickey: "You want to drive all the way out to fucking Bristol, be my guest. I sure don't. Country roads are murder on my car. Besides, this guy's practically working for free."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:15:19 / Unrated: 00:15:04
Mickey and Bob visit Gorvy Hauer in order to talk with him about contents insurance. Shortly before they take leave of him, this short sequence is missing in the R-rated.

Unrated: 9 sec.

Gorvy: "Oh, what time is it? Oh, Andy Griffith's on. I gotta watch this one. You're welcome to stay if you like."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:16:33 / Unrated: 00:16:27
Mickey's wife Jo Ann, who lives separated from him, isn't so happy about his visit. There's a short shot missing in the R-rated as she's putting him off.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:18:09 / Unrated: 00:18:04
Gorvy Hauer has now decided to get insurance due to his broken TV. A short part of the conversation during the signing of the policy is missing.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Mickey: "It's a small price to pay for some peace of mind, right?"
Gorvy: "Yeah."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:18:17 / Unrated: 00:18:15
Mickey sips at his coffee.

Unrated: 1 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:19:54 / Unrated: 00:19:54
Mickey is shown longer repairing the TV.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:23:31 / Unrated: 00:23:32
Mickey and Bob in the office.

Unrated: 8 sec.

Mickey: "I swear, these women are gonna kill my loss ratio."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:25:12 / Unrated: 00:25:22
The scene in which Mickey drives with his Ford Escort LX to his wife begins a bit earlier. Moreover, there's a voice-over by him in the unrated.
Unrated: 3 sec.

Mickey: "Come on, don't blame a guy for trying to make a good deal. For a salesman, making deals is a way of life. Everything becomes a negotiation, and every meeting is a chance to score."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:28:52 / Unrated: 00:28:17
After Mickey has noticed that Gorvy Hauer owns a rare violin, he visits Leonard Dahl in his music shop. He looks around a bit longer.

Unrated: 16 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:29:51 / Unrated: 00:29:29
Leonard is shown longer looking something up in the book.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Leonard: "You can buy one of these things for a little as 500 Dollars."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:31:23 / Unrated: 00:31:08
There's a longer exterior shot as Mickey is leaving the shop with a deposit for the violin.

Unrated: 8 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:31:27 / Unrated: 00:31:20
In the R-rated version is also missing how Mickey puts the money, which he just took out to take a look at, back into the envelop and gets in his car.

Unrated: 7 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:26:17 / Unrated: 00:31:27
The scene which shows Mickey cleaning his shoes and which is shown a bit earlier in the R-rated is longer.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:26:43 / Unrated: 00:31:58
Gorvy sits together with his neighbor Frank in the living room and they watch when Mickey visits him unexpectedly. Mickey is surprised that Frank is at Gorvy's. This complete sequence is missing in the R-rated. Here only the shot which shows Gorvy playing the violin for his dog Petey remained. This is already shown at 00:26:43 in the R-rated.

Unrated: 1 min. and 48 sec.

Mickey: "Gorvy?"
Gorvy: "Yeah, Mickey, hello. Come in. You're just in time to watch some TV."
Mickey: "Hey Frank. I didn't know you were here. I didn't see your rig."
Frank: "I snowshoed over."
Mickey: "Oh."
Frank: "So what brings you all the way out here?"
Mickey: "I like to check on my clients."
Gorvy: "Yeah, he said the place is a fire hazard. He's gonna help me clean it up."
Frank: "Gorvy, that reminds me, I gave your pictures to the auctioneer. He sent a few of them to some experts, things he wasn't sure about."
Gorvy: "Oh, yeah. Oh! Better not walk on the rug! Remember what you told me about the rug. Well, I'm going to the washroom. Tell me what happens."
Frank: "My friend told me the rug is pretty much worthless. Too bad. How 'bout a hit of schnaps? It'll warm you up."
Mickey: "No, I can't. I'm on the clock."
Frank: "Yeah. I had an office job once. But I had to give it up when my marriage went to hell. Are you married?"
Mickey: "Yes."
Frank: "Get along good?"
Mickey: "Mm-hm."
Frank: "Good. Because women can become pretty darn vindictive. My ex was out to ruin me. She was on a mission. She even turned all my friens against me. The only thing I had left was my good name and that ended too, when she started spreading lies about me. I had to leave town and start over. Become a new person."
Mickey: "Frank, I'd love to take a look at those snowshoes."
Frank: "Sure."
Gorvy: "Good work, Frank. Good work. Good going. And don't forget my dog food!"
Mickey: "Those are something. Hey, have you heard anything from that guy in Chicago?"
Gorvy: "No. Oh! Wait till you see this. This you've got to see. Petey, come here!"

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:27:08 / Unrated: 00:34:05
The above mentioned scene also shows Mickey being quite annoyed.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:31:36 / Unrated: 00:34:16
Mickey visits his wife again. When he notices that she changed the lock he's shown for 4 more seconds.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:31:45 / Unrated: 00:34:29
It takes him 3 more seconds in the unrated to get to the back of the house to try it there.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:32:26 / Unrated: 00:35:14
When his wife mentions his alleged affair with Sherri on the work party Mickey explains that she was only a customer. The following short shot's missing:

Unrated: 5 sec.

Jo Ann: "That's your story? Oh, God!"

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:32:40 / Unrated: 00:35:32
A further attempted explanation of Mickey before Jo Ann throws him out.
It's also interesting that in the R-rated follows a voice-over by Mickey explaining that he was just robbed by Sherri and that they haven't had sex, while the face of Jo Ann is shown. Due to this, the scene is more serious in the unrated.

Unrated: 6 sec.

Mickey: "Hey... nothing happened. And technically, you and I were separated."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:32:57 / Unrated: 00:35:54
The following scene is missing.

Unrated: 46 sec.

Karla: "Mickey, when is this big deal gonna go through? There is not a lot left in the account."
Chuck: "Hey, guys. I was just at the Liquor Barn, meeting with Hap Swensen."
Mickey: "I thought I told you to quit wasting time with existing policyholders chuck. You're supposed to be out drumming up new business."
Chuck: "He wanted me to give you this."
Mickey: "Is that Liebfraumilch? They can't give the shit away."
Karla: "I have to pay for all the office expenses, Mickey."
Mickey: "Cancel the housekeeping."
Karla: "Who's gonna empty the trash?"
Chuck: "Karla? We're almost all out of copy paper."
Mickey: "Start recycling guys. And give me those bills. I'll handle this, OK?"

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:34:21 / Unrated: 00:38:02
During a short conversation, Bob Egan tells Mickey in his office that Gorvy has to pay a visit to his sick sister and that in this time there's no one there to take care of Petey, the dog. After Mickey has offered to talk to a customer who owns a dog kennel and after Bob has approved of this, Mickey is shown in a close-up.

Unrated: 2 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:34:43 / Unrated: 00:38:26
Mickey buys a violin in a store. The R-rated lacks him paying it. In the unrated, there's an additional voice-over, also during the following scene, but in the R-rated it's missing completely.

Unrated: 9 sec.

Mickey: "There's a fine line between a good salesman and a scam artist. And behind every succesful scam are a bunch of finely-tuned details. Believe me, arranging them is... That's a real art. Everything, and I mean everything, has to be carefully orchestrated. It's not enough to tell a couple of lies. You've gotta back them up with something people can actually see. Every era has its master craftsmen. In the Age of Bullshit, it's the guy that can convince people, get-them to believe. The one who's pulling the strings."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:34:45 / Unrated: 00:38:37
Mickey makes some copies from a book about violins. He's shown a little bit longer.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:34:52 / Unrated: 00:38:50
It takes Mickey longer to manipulate the violin in the unrated.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:44:21 / Unrated: 00:48:12
After Randy, the guy from the security company, has killed Gorvy's neighbor Frank with a hammer and he and Mickey take the corpse to Randy's van, the following shot is missing in the R-rated:

Unrated: 46 sec.

Randy: "What are you doing?"
Mickey: "I dropped my keys!"
Randy: "Were you over here?"
Mickey: "No, I was..."
Randy: "Forget it, I'll hotwire it."
Mickey: "No, I have a wallet key."
Randy: "You have a wallet key? You got a wallet key? The use it!"
Mickey: "My names on the keychain. What if his blood's on the keys?"
Randy: "I don't give a shit! Get in your car. We have to go!"
Mickey: "God damn it!"
Randy: "Now! What are you, an idiot?"
Mickey: ""

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:44:32 / Unrated: 00:49:08
There's a short shot of an ice fisher when Mickey and Randy are searching for a good spot for disposing of the corpse.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:45:11 / Unrated: 00:49:51
There are missing a few seconds again.

Unrated: 7 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:48:51 / Unrated: 00:53:25
The bumper of Randy's van is visible briefly.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:49:54 / Unrated: 00:54:31
Mickey fell asleep while his car engine was still running. He decides to return to Gorvy's house to search for his lost car keys, but in vain.

Unrated: 32 sec.

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:52:21 / Unrated: 00:57:51
Mickey needs some cash because by now he's being blackmailed by Randy. His bank informs him that his account has been blocked for the time being.

Unrated: 38 sec.

Mickey: "Dick, what's going on with my account? 'Questionable business deductions?' What is this?"
Dick: "Yeah... my hands are tied. It's the IRS. This happened to a neighbor of mine. Somebody called the anonymous tipline on him."
Mickey: "I need... I need to get my hands on some cash. So let's just..."
Dick: "Well, luckily,Jo Ann was in a couple of weeks ago. We set up a personal account. That won't be affected."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:52:59 / Unrated: 00:59:06
While trying to convince his credit card company to grant him a larger line of credit Mickey puts the blame on his assistant Karla, as a lame excuse, and claims that she has done some errors with the accounting. Karla doesn't want to stand for this, so she rebukes him and says that he has obviously spent too much money in the hotel casino during the last company event. Now it begins to dawn on Mickey. Sherri must have paid their casino bill with his credit card.
The dialogue goes on a little longer in the unrated version.

Unrated: 17 sec.

Mickey: "What'd the IRS say?"
Karla: "The number they gave has been busy all day."
Mickey: "Can you find another one?"
Karla: "It's almost five, Mickey."
Mickey: "I gotta have this sorted out by Monday. Please, Karla."
Karla: "Monday's a holiday. It's Presidents' Day and you said I didn't have to come in."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:54:00 / Unrated: 01:00:11
A conversation of Mickey and Randy is longer in the unrated version.

Unrated: 13 sec.

R-Rated

Mickey: "No. It's an important instrument, it comes from Germany."
Randy: "Oh, it's German?"
Mickey: "Yeah."
Randy: "I didn't realize it was german."
Mickey: "No..."
Randy: "That's ama... What, do you think I'm stupid?"
Mickey: "Look at me. Look at me. Why would I have bothered to take this thing? Huh?"
Randy: "What am I supposed to do with it?"
Mickey: "You can sell it. You can pawn it. Whatever. You take it, it's yours. That's yours. But I... I work here. You can't be here. You need to go."


Unrated

Mickey: "No. It's an important instrument, it comes from Germany. It's called a Stainer. It's a copy of a very valuable violin."
Randy: "Oh, it's German?"
Mickey: "Yeah."
Randy: "I didn't realize it was german."
Mickey: "No..."
Randy: "That's ama... What, do you think I'm stupid?"
Mickey: "Look at me. Look at me. Why would I have bothered to take this thing? Huh?"
Randy: "What am I supposed to do with it?"
Mickey: "You can just take it. It's.. The old man will never know it's gone. You can sell it. You can pawn it. Whatever. You take it, it's yours. That's yours. But I... I work here. You can't be here. You need to go."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:55:22 / Unrated: 01:01:46
In the following conversation with Bob Egan is also missing a little bit.

Unrated: 14 sec.

R-Rated
Bob: "No, no, no. I was... I stopped by the office a couple of days ago. A fax came in, it was marked 'urgent'. I left you a note about all this. Anyway, there was an appraisal of this violin. Figured I'd let Gorvy know as soon as I as soon as I found out. And you know, his sister... his sister passed, which is, um... Oh,, my God, rest her soul. But this... this news certainly seemed to cheer Gorvy up a bit."


Unrated

Bob: "No, no, no. I was... I stopped by the office a couple of days ago. A fax came in, it was marked 'urgent'. I left you a note about all this. Anyway, there was an appraisal of this violin. You remember, when we were out there and Frank mentioned something about sending photos to somebody? I thought I'd let Gorvy know as soon as I as soon as I found out. So I... Geez, I must've called... I don't know, it must have been about a half dozen of these nursing homes in Rhinelander before I could track him down. And you know, his sister... his sister passed, which is, um... Oh,, my God, rest her soul. But this... this news certainly seemed to cheer Gorvy up [a bit."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:57:06 / Unrated: 01:03:44
Mickey has learned from Bob that the violin is actually worth more than one million dollars. So he tries in vain to get in contact with Randy to get the instrument back.

The next day, he arrives a little late at the office. Leonard Dahl is already waiting for him.

Unrated: 30 sec.

Mickey: "Hey, uh... It's me again. Please call me, OK? This is urgent. I need that vi... I need the... thing I gave you back again. Please."

Karla: "Mickey."
Mickey: "I know, my fucking alarm clock I overslept. I was expecting a call, did...?"
Karla: "Mickey!"
Mickey: "Is this it? What?"

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:57:25 / Unrated: 01:04:31
Some shots are missing again in the following scene.

Unrated: 14 sec.

Leonard: "Do you have any idea what this means? Think I like driving all the way out here? This is enormous. I mean, virtually every Stainer in the world is accounted for. Do you have any idea how the owner got a hold of it?"
Mickey: "He doesn't like to talk about it, that's why he put me in charge."
Leonard: "Well, I can talk to him. I'll explain. You tell him to talk to me and I'll explain."
Mickey: "I can't, unfortunately."
Leonard: "Why?"
Mickey: "He's out of town."
Leonard: "Oh, yeah? When's he back?"
Mickey: "Listen... I really..."
Leonard: "If you think you're gonna sell this thing on your own, you are sadly mistaken."
Mickey: "Let me walk you out. Come on, come on."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:58:07 / Unrated: 01:05:43
On his way to Gorvy, Mickey stops briefly at the bus station.

Unrated: 15 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:58:26 / Unrated: 01:06:16
When Mickey arrives at Gorvy's, the latter is shown a little bit longer conducting a violin concert on the radio with his bow.

Unrated: 3 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 00:59:27 / Unrated: 01:07:20
The following part of the conversation is also missing.

Unrated: 33 sec.

Gorvy: "No, I show it to nobody."
Mickey: "And put it away."
Gorvy: "Bob is coming to celebrate. What time is it?"
Mickey: "It's..."
Gorvy: "Wait, where's my clock? It was right here."
Mickey: "Uh, you probably gave it away with all the other stuff to somebody."
Gorvy: "Yeah, I don't remember anything anymore. Anyway, he's coming. We're going to celebrate. He's bringing some Wine..."
Mickey: "OK, listen, Gorvy. It's very important that you not..."
Gorvy: "He's bringing some Wine that I never heard of before."
Mickey: "Don't show that thing to anybody, OK? Do you understand me?"
Gorvy: "Yeah."
Mickey: "OK. You must gotta be very careful. I'm trying to protect you."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:02:58 / Unrated: 01:11:23
The dog Petey is being taken outside by Mickey a bit longer.

Unrated: 4 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:06:02 / Unrated: 01:14:28
Petey has disappeared after Mickey tied him up amateurishly in front of the house. Mickey consents to help Gorvy searching for the dog. Gorvy asks Mickey to stop at a gas station because he wants to put up a picture of Petey there. The following shot is missing in the R-rated.

Unrated: 1 min. and 27 sec.

Gorvy: "Well you know, Frank didn't stop here to get gasoline for his trip, so I'm a little bit worried now. I better call him up."
Mickey: "He's probably just refueling on the road. Got stuck in the weather."
Gorvy: "He's not picking up so I'm a little bit more worried now."
Mickey: "OK, let's stay focused on finding your dog. Let's find Petey."
Gorvy: "Where did he say he was going?"
Mickey: "Just look for the dog."
Gorvy: "I don't remember anything anymore. Sometimes he makes deliveries for an auctioneer, the man that he was gonna show pictures of my things for. And now he won't see the violin! Ah!"
Mickey: "Well, maybe it's not a coincidence. You know, maybe Frank took your violin. Maybe he stole it."
Gorvy: "No."
Mickey: "Yeah."
Gorvy: "He wouldn't do such a thing."
Mickey: "Yeah."
Gorvy: "He's my friend."
Mickey: "He may have. He may have taken it and he may never come back with it for all you know. Ever."
Gorvy: "Ah, scheiss. I don't feel so good now. I want to go home. Maybe my doggy came back."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:06:33 / Unrated: 01:16:26
Mickey meets with Glen Vandenhoevel in the city hall. This conversation is also shorter in the R-rated.

Unrated: 42 sec.

Glen: "Sounded really coarse on the phone, guess he'd been out all night looking for his dog."
Mickey: "What about the appraiser in Chicago? Did you talk to him?"
Glen: "Yeah. That guy wouldn't shut up. Kept me on the phone for 45 minutes. Kept talking about how hard it was gonna be unload the violin. Especially once it's listed on the missing registry. Listen, I know what's going on. You feel responsible 'cause it was your sale."
Mickey: "Yeah."
Glen: "Don't worry, we're gonna get this guy. It's in our hands now."
Mickey: "OK."
Glen: "Denny Larson from Special Investigations is on it. He is a cracker-jack."
Mickey: "Good. You'll keep me posted?"
Glen: "Yeah, absolutely."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:11:14 / Unrated: 01:21:48
When Mickey enters his office again, Karla is still visible.

Unrated: 2 sec.

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:12:07 / Unrated: 01:22:41
In the following conversation with Glen Vandenhoevel about the faked violin is missing something.

Unrated: 8 sec.

Glen: "And Denny Larsen, our guy, was able to follow up where the phony was purchased. It was a music store right here in Kenosha."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:12:14 / Unrated: 01:22:56
Same scene, different dialogue.

Unrated: 44 sec.

Mickey: "They get a description of the guy?"
Glen: "Yeah. I wish. No, you may be the only chance we have of getting a description of this Frank Richie. We interviewed his landlady. She never even met him. Rented the place to him over the phone. Oh, and Gorvy Hauer's not gonna be much help, either. You know, he just refuses to believe that his so-called friend could be involved. And when I pressed him for a description, he just hang up on me."
Mickey: "Truthfully, Glen, I'm not sure I can be much help, either. I never really got a good look. He had a hat and a scarf..."
Glen: "It's OK, Mickey. Somebody is gonna know this guy. I mean, his name may not be Frank Richie, but he's out there somewhere. And we are gonna do our best to find him. Hopefully, he'll lead us right to that violin."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:14:16 / Unrated: 01:25:42
Mickey stops by at Gorvy's again. The latter is searching with a metal detector for traces in his front garden.

Unrated: 19 sec.

Mickey: "What are you doing?"
Gorvy: "I'm looking for clues. What else I got to do now my doggy's gone? Maybe I can find who took my violin. I tell you something. Frank did not take my violin. He's too big. He wouldn't fit inside this hole. Someone else must've been up here."

Additional Voice-over in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:14:16 / Unrated: 01:26:01
The following voice-over by Mickey is missing in the R-rated.

No running time difference

Mickey: "Time is a liar's worst enemy. Sooner or later, the real story will bubble up to the surface. You take whatever steps you have to to stay ahead."


Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:14:45 / Unrated: 01:26:25
Glen Vandenhoevel gets visited by Mickey Prohaska. He tries to get some information about the ongoing investigation.

Unrated: 1 min. and 04 sec.

Glen: "Hey, Mickey."
Mickey: "Bad time?"
Glen: "No, no, come on in. Hey. Hey, coffee?"
Mickey: "No, no, no, I..."
Glen: "So what brings you to Milwaukee?"
Mickey: "Sales call."
Glen: "Ah!"
Mickey: "Yeah, I was just wondering if you had any new leads on that violin investigation."
Glen: "I hate to say this, Mickey, but we pretty much hit a dead end on that. You know, I'd thought that the violin business was just a bunch of, you know, artsy-fartsy types. But some of these guys... Pretty damn shady. You know, they'll do just about anything to get their hands on a rare instrument. And once that's out on the black market, well, forget it, it's gone."
Mickey: "Yeah, so it's pretty much a lost cause, huh?"
Glen: "Yeah."
Mickey: "Well, I'd appreciate you, uh... you know, wrap this thing up whenever you can. I want to put it behind me, obviously."
Glen: "Yeah, I hear you. I'll do what I can."

In a follow-up shot of the previous scene there's an additional voice-over by Mickey.

Mickey: "The Problem is, the truth is always on your ass, trying to chase you down, one step behind."

Extended and Altered Scene in the R-Rated:
R-Rated: 01:15:15 / Unrated: 01:27:59
Mickey is at Gorvy's again. The general content of their conversation differs in the two versions. While the murdered Frank is mentioned again in the unrated, it's a bit more emotional in the R-rated.

R-Rated: 41 sec.


R-Rated

Gorvy: "I can't go nowhere. What if my doggy comes back?"
Mickey: "I, uh... I wanted to talk to you about that. I, uh... I found him on the side of the road. He was..."
Gorvy: "What?"
Mickey: "He was dead. He had been hit by another car. I'm having him cremated..."
Gorvy: "Oh, my God."
Mickey: "... so that you can take him with you."
Gorvy: "They left my doggy on the side of the road? What's wrong with people these days? How can they do what they do? It used to be you could trust people. You can leave your door open in the middle of the night and now, they kill your doggy. You were right Mickey. You can't trust nobody anymore."


Unrated

Mickey: "Look at this, I have a ticket for you."
Gorvy: "Where am I going?"
Mickey: "To Austria."
Gorvy: "What?"
Mickey: "Remember? You wanted to go there, and they have these packages, Gorvy, wonderful, wonderful packages. You might go for a while and have fun. Maybe you'll stay forever."
Gorvy: "No, no, I need to wait for Frank."
Mickey: "Frank is gone. He's not coming back. You need to let it go! You gotta move on."

R-Rated	Unrated

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:16:46 / Unrated: 01:28:49
After a phone call with Randy in which they decide to meet in Chicago, it's missing how Mickey's driving over the Chicago Skyway Bridge into the city. Moreover, there's a voice-over by him still on the telephone in which he says that he intends to stop afterwards.

Unrated: 5 sec.

Mickey: "But this it it, you understand me? After this I'm done."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:19:39 / Unrated: 01:31:48
For now a thaw has set in, Mickey decides to search again for his lost car keys on Gorvy's property and finds it. Scene change to the beach hotel, which was shown already at the beginning of the R-rated. Mickey keeps talking to Jerry.

Unrated: 44 sec.

Jerry: "So this friend of yours was able to walk away from murder as simple as that?"
Mickey: "You haven't heard the end of my story."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:22:37 / Unrated: 01:35:18
When Mickey realizes that he has been tricked, there's missing a short shot of one of his flashbacks.
Moreover, there's a further shot in which Karla finds him thoughtfully in his office.

Unrated: 33 sec.

Karla: "Oh, you OK, Mickey? Guess what? I got a call about the traveler's checks that were bought with your credit cards. They were able to trace the serial numbers. And they were deposited in a bank in Burlington. Some kind of farming business. Golden Harvest."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:22:56 / Unrated: 01:36:04
Mickey visits his bank in Burlington. There, they mistake him for Gorvy Hauer. The scene is a bit longer in the unrated.

Unrated: 21 sec.

Mickey: "I was wondering if I could get an update on my last statement. My mail's been srewed up."
Bank clerk: "Well, I wish we can say you made a little interest on that big deposit, but we wired it out almost immediately after we got you faxes, Mr. Hauer."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:24:58 / Unrated: 01:38:56
Mickey watches the real Gorvy Hauer and his family moving out of their house. There's a voice-over by Mickey.

Unrated: 21 sec.

Mickey: "She was thoughtful enough to send a souvenir. A final blow to a stormy marriage. Who knows? Maybe a little sunshine could've saved it. If only there'd been a chance to escape life's problems for a while. Go somewhere warm."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:25:50 / Unrated: 01:40:17
The parting of Karla and Mickey, where Karla tries to blackmail him, is a bit longer.

Unrated: 30 sec.

Mickey: "I should have let you quit when I had the chance. None of this was my fault, Karla."
Karla: "It was probably your friend, right? It's always a friend. It's never you."
Mickey: "I was just trying to help Bob make a goddamn sale."
Karla: "How convenient that I never got to meet the guy! There is no fucking 'Bob!'"

Mickey: "But there was a Bob. And he could've confirmed everything. If only he hadn't been let go. Poor guy was out there somewhere, trying to make a fresh start."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:26:39 / Unrated: 01:41:40
In the unrated, it comes to light that Bob actually isn't Bob.

Unrated: 14 sec.

Mickey: "Bob was somewhere out there, all right. Only his name wasn't Bob. He was the roper."

Additional Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:26:59 / Unrated: 01:42:13
In a further flashback about Bob, commented by Mickey in a voice-over, is missing a short scene.

Unrated: 18 sec.

Mickey: "The entire time he slipped by unnoticed, pretending to be someone he wasn't. And all of it with that someone's own permission..."

Mickey: "'Just go ahead and fake my signature.'"

Mickey: "...He was the ultimate con man. A real pro. He was so good at his job he even managed to get himself fired."

Extended Scene in the Unrated:
R-Rated: 01:27:23 / Unrated: 01:42:55
When Mickey visits the music store of Leonard Dahl again to confront him, the unrated also shows him entering the store. Moreover, there's missing a short part of the conversation.

Unrated: 10 sec.

Leonard: "Your check bounced, you know. I was never compensated for my appraisal."
Mickey: "Yeah, you were, just not by me."

Differing End Credits:
R-Rated: 01:29:35 / Unrated: 01:45:17
The above given total running time refers to the movie without end credits. But it also has to be mentioned that the rest of the time difference is due to the end credits. The end credits of the R-rated run a bit slower. Moreover, they used different music:

In the end credits of the R-rated plays the song "Rev it up" by "Jab Jab", while it's "Snowbird" by "Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayem" in the unrated.

So the end credits of the R-rated run 9 seconds longer, also because of more black screens.

R-Rated: 9 sec.

R-Rated	Unrated