Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie Review

Cuts deep.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 22, 2013

In the Cut pushes boundaries so far that audiences might understandably lose track of the plot details in favor of the abundance of sexual heat and steamy eroticism that darkly -- not at all deliciously -- seep through every celluloid pore. That'll both lose some viewers and gain others, pushing away those who don't want borderline hardcore pornography in their cinema and attracting those who aren't so much titillated by the visuals but rather spellbound by the rawness of the encounters and the daring of the film to display them in such detail. To be sure, the sex in the film lacks intimacy. It's all about the moment, the pleasure, the outward feeling, the inner need, the animalism that's revealed when two attracting people allow their instincts to lead them. Through the prism of sex, In the Cut crafts a movie about dark impulses, fear, and murder, comparing and contrasting love and lust, want and need, and controlled and uncontrollable instincts and desires that, when acted upon, can yield both incredible pleasure and unbearable pain. This isn't a movie for some -- maybe even many -- but those willing to journey down a terribly dark and uneasy road paved with blood and raw carnal pleasures will find much to love in In the Cut.

Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan) is an aspiring writer-slash-high school English teacher. While tutoring a student off-campus, she witnesses an act of oral sex in the basement of the site. She later runs into Detective Giovanni Malloy (Mark Ruffalo) who is canvasing her building and wanting answers to questions about the severed head that's been discovered in her garden. It doesn't take long -- and with a little nudging and support from Frannie's half-sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and post-traumatic support after Frannie is attacked on the street -- for the two to begin a torrid affair. Their sex is frequent, raw, and as much verbal as it is physical. Meanwhile, severed bodies continue to appear around town. The investigation grows more distant but also seems to be inching closer to home. As Frannie continues her sexual relationship with Malloy, she comes to believe that there may be more to the detective than an unquenchable lover and a seeker of justice.

Director Jane Campion (The Piano) succeeds in making In the Cut both an unmistakably stylish and relentlessly raw experience. It's a picture that's very well made and darkly alluring but at the same time rather difficult to watch. It's emotionally dark -- significantly so, at times -- and the unflinching display of unrestrained sexual contact against the grisly backdrop of brutal murder that both begins the Frannie Avery-Detective Malloy affair and comes ever-closer to it makes for a jarring contrast that helps define the dark avenues the picture explores. There's an almost surreal texture to the movie. It's so bold and dramatically gritty that it all seems to run together, at times, which seems to be the point. There's a fairly basic whodunit at film's core, but that seems only to serve as a vessel for the deeper human exploration through terribly disturbing character portraits. Nothing about the film is restrained -- not the language, not murderous aftermath, not the sex, and certainly not the dark, raw, unforgiving emotions -- and it's a difficult watch. Be prepared.

For as much as the film does well, it's impossible not to see in it a darker spin on Basic Instinct, Director Paul Verhoeven's disturbing masterpiece of sexually fueled manipulation and murder. The parallels are clear: murder brings together a hardened male cop and a female writer (who also teaches school, in this case). There's plenty of steamy sex, including choice shots of genitalia (detailed fellatio and all the accompanying visuals are intact in this unrated cut). Sexual symbolism and raw desire run rampant. Yet despite the similarities, this is no Basic Instinct. For as steamy, willing, and convincing Ryan and Ruffalo may be, they lack the unmissable chemistry of Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. The plot isn't as alluring, but then again In the Cut builds up a significantly darker atmosphere, even if the basic elements remain largely the same. However, Campion's film does lack the more thorough and natural character development of Basic Instinct. The peripheral plot elements don't hold up as well as they do in Verhoeven's film, either. In Instinct, everything feels tied together. In In the Cut, there's a sense that the murders are but a frame for the darker human exploration. Both are with merit and both are worth the compare-and-contrast exercise, but Verhoeven's film is likely to come out on top in most direct comparisons.

In the Cut Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 

In the Cut's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack flows effortlessly and sounds quite good. Musical delivery is handled well, with solid clarity and good positioning around the stage, dominated up front but also gently flowing out of the back. The track often springs to life with well defined ambient effects. There's a broad range of supportive sounds, from city din to woodland serene. Passing vehicles, honking horns, rustling leaves, buzzing insects, and all sorts of diverse environmental elements are almost perfectly integrated into a number of scenes. Heavier effects, such as booming thunder and deliberately muddled and diffused strip club dance music, nicely help to define several scenes. Dialogue plays evenly and with natural clarity from the center channel. This is a good all-around soundtrack from Mill Creek.

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

This Blu-ray release of In the Cut contains no supplemental content.

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

Take a moment and reflect on all the adjectives in this 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 Blu-ray release of In the Cut features decent video and strong audio. No extras are included. Recommended to the appropriate audience.