| In the Book |
In the Movie |
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The book takes place in three different places/time periods: Italy in 1944, Hong Kong in 1959, and Atlanta in 1975 (when the majority of the book takes place). |
The movie takes place in Atlanta in 1981. |
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There is a plot thread about stolen gold being used to finance a presidential campaign. |
No such plot thread exists in the movie.
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The book has more graphic sex scenes. |
Sexual acts are implied at most. |
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The book uses plenty of racial slurs. |
The movie hardly uses any racial slurs, but there is slight racism.
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Howard Burns kills people to cover up the trail of the stolen gold. |
Billy Score kills people to cover up Hotchkins' affairs. |
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Howard Burns uses a Colt Woodsman as his preferred weapon. |
Billy Score uses a High Standard HDM as his preferred weapon.
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Sharky meets Highball Mary in a beat-up VW Beetle |
Sharky meets Highball Mary on foot. |
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The cop who gives away Sharky at the meeting with Highball Mary is named Tully. |
The cop who gives away Sharky at the meeting with Highball Mary is named Smiley.
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Donald Hotchins is running for President of the United States. |
Donald Hotchkins is running for Governor of Georgia. |
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Domino is Howard Burns' first intended victim. |
Billy Score makes two other hits before moving on Dominoe.
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Sharky encounters Domino in a grocery store and later has dinner in her apartment. |
Sharky barely has any interaction with Dominoe until after Tiffany gets blasted. |
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Victor DeLaroza is working on an entire theme park called “Pachinko!” |
No such project takes place in the movie.
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Sharky and pals act as elevator testers in Domino's apartment. |
Sharky and pals act as telephone repairmen in Dominoe's apartment. |
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The book has a huge focus on Hotchins’ presidential campaign. |
Focus on Hotchkins' gubernatorial campaign is minimal.
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The book goes into some detail about Domino’s daily activities. |
The movie gives a bit more screentime to Dominoe’s daily activities. |
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No such scene exists in the book. |
In the movie, there is a scene where Sharky confers with his Machine at a baseball game.
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Arch confers with an informant in a limo. |
Arch confers with an informant in a disco. |
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Arch’s informant lives. |
Arch's informant is killed.
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Domino discovers Sharky’s ruse at her apartment. |
Dominoe discovers Sharky's ruse when she spots pictures of her on the wall of Sharky’s childhood home. |
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Domino takes Sharky's ruse pretty well. |
Dominoe is furious when she discovers Sharky's ruse.
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There is a scene where Sharky and Arch visit Fort McPherson to determine Howard Burns’ real identity. |
All Sharky and Arch have to do is get Billy Score's print from Dominoe's apartment. |
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Nosh is tricked into delivering the surveillance tapes by a contact in the police department. |
The tapes were stolen.
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Nosh is killed at an apartment somewhere in the city. |
Nosh's death is not depicted. |
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Sharky is knocked out at the same apartment where Nosh was killed. |
Sharky is knocked out at Nosh's home.
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The man who tortures Sharky is Gerald Kershman, Hotchins’ campaign manager. |
The man who tortures Sharky is Smiley, the cop who blew the deal with Highball Mary. |
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Sharky loses part of his pinkie. |
Sharky loses his pinkie and ring fingers.
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The climax of the book takes place at Pachinko! |
The climax of the movie takes place at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. |
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Jaspers lives. |
JoJo is hit by a car and presumably killed.
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Both Papa and Arch live. |
Papa is killed by Billy Score and Arch is wounded. Arch's fate after that is unknown. |
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Hotchins is shot dead by Burns. |
Hotchkins lives, but is arrested.
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