Der Director's Cut ist etwa 4-5 Minuten kürzer (!) als die Version, die zuerst ins Kino kam. Nachfolgend die Szenen, die neu, geändert oder weggelassen wurden:

For the 1998 restoration (= Director's Cut), the Coen brothers not only remixed and re-recorded new sound effects for the stereo soundtrack, but made some minor trims to various scenes and dialog:
- Maurice asking a bar patron at the jukebox what night it is and realizing it's "Yankee Night", he explains he's from Detroit, thus justifying his intervention of the patron's musical selection.
- Ray sticking his cigarette in the stuffed warthog's nose at Marty's house, and the following lines: RAY: You gonna leave all this stuff? ABBY: It's all Marty's.
- After Marty suggests to the P.I. the "incinerator" as a means of destroying the evidence of his proposed murder, the P.I.'s line: "Sweet Jesus, you're disgusting!" is deleted.
- A couple lines from the landlady showing Abby the studio apartment (mainly assuring her Abby won't be bothered at that location) before she starts yelling at her ex-brother-in-law, are deleted.
- As Marty opens his safe to retrieve the bounty money (and swap the photo) his line: "This is an illicit affair" has been removed, although he can still be seen mouthing it.
- When the P.I. shoots Marty, a couple shots are removed of Marty and the P.I. staring at each other after the gunshot.
- When Ray and Abby are discussing "what happened", in her studio apartment, and Ray feels cold enough to rise from his seat, the shot of him steadying the walrus piggy-bank is removed and his dialog is heard off-screen to cover this change.
- When Abby goes to see Maurice about her concerns, the scene cuts as soon as she enters. In the original version, the scene continues and she is seen inside his place and he pours a drink while assuring her that Marty is not dead, even though she is very worried that he is. Some of the dialog from inside the house is placed over the shot outside Maurice's door before Abby goes in, in the 1998 version.
- A new page of credits is added at the end, covering the restoration.