In the Cut Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released the 2003 film 'In the Cut;' written and directed by Jane Campion and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Meg Ryan, and Mark Ruffalo; to Blu-ray. Mill Creek previously released the film to Blu-ray in 2013 where it was exclusively available as part of a two film collection with 'Trapped.' This presentation includes a 1080p picture but downgrades audio from the 5.1 lossless track on the previous release to a 2.0 lossless track for this release. As with the previous issue, no supplements are included.

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For this Blu-ray release of In the Cut, it appears that Mill Creek has simply recycled the transfer from the old disc. There may be very minor discrepancies in compression, but the transfer itself appears to be identical. Below is a reproduction of the review from the 2013 release:

In the Cut's high definition transfer isn't the easiest to assess. The film is largely defined by a unique appearance that plays with excess warmth, soft-to-smeary edges, low light, shaky handheld, and other off-the-beaten-path stylistic choices. It's not the most immediately attractive picture, but the dark, diverse appearance suits the film's dramatic tone quite well. That said, there's a variance in overreaching quality; brighter exteriors offer some well-defined details -- skin, clothes, and raw city textures -- but the more drab, light-deprived interiors take on a softer, more intimate, and very warm veneer. Colors follow suit. Bright reds, oranges, and greens are handled rather nicely (despite a little bleeding) while there's a heavy golden/red push in lower light scenes. Flesh tones usually carry that warmer appearance throughout the film. Blacks often succumb to crush; darker objects and shadowy corners often melt together with no distinction. The picture struggles with some low-light color shifts. It's also rather smooth, drab, and flat overall. It's not the most impressive transfer, but given the eccentricities it seems to suit the movie rather well.

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this new release, Mill Creek has chosen to present the film with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack rather than port over the existing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2013 release. The result is not a significant downgrade in terms of clarity or engagement. The presentation lacks the surround positioning for various ambient effects but there remains a nice sense of general environmental clarity. Front side stretch is never an issue. Despite the absence of surround content, the stage never feels limited or cramped within the confines of the engaged speakers. As with the 5.1 track, there is a general lack of weightiness, but not a lack of bottom-line necessary depth. Dialogue is main component here, and it is presented with good front-center imaging and healthy detail.

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with Mill Creek's previous Blu-ray issue, this new release of In the Cut contains no supplemental content. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Take a moment and reflect on all the adjectives in (the linked) review. Raw. Disturbing. Unforgiving. Difficult. And so on. Those all perfectly define In the Cut. It's an unsettling experience, not at all titillating but rather terribly disturbing and endlessly gritty. It's detailed and unafraid to depict various acts of violence and sex in some detail. More timid audiences definitely need to stay away, but bolder viewers will want to explore Campion's dark, nefarious, and very intimate world. Mill Creek's new Blu-ray release of In the Cut features decent video and technically downgraded, but still perfectly passable, audio. No extras are included. Those who already own the previous double pack have no reason to rebuy this version.