There are also some issues with crushing in darker scenes. The DVDвЂ™s standard-definition presentation is obviously compressed and colours donвЂ™t come off as well: the blues, which are so clean and vivid in the Blu-ray, come off a little duller here. The DVD version does use the same transfer as its base, though itвЂ™s unfortunately nowhere near as good. It should also be noted that those weird speed-up effects that were present in the MGM DVDвЂ™s presentation have been removed. The print has also been beautifully restored and I donвЂ™t recall any significant blemishes. Black levels are strong, delivering superb shadow delineation and no issues of crushing. There are a number of low lit sequences as alluded to before, and other than a couple of softer looking shots theyвЂ™re also delivered well. Edges are crisp, smaller details are delivered with an extreme amount of clarity, and depth is superb. Other than the occasional soft shot in a handful of low-lit sequences (with the softness looking to be inherent in the source) the image is intensely sharp throughout. Other than that and some odd effects at the end (which I originally contributed to a poor transfer though later discovered it was MannвЂ™s awkward attempt to speed up some slo-mo shots) I unfortunately donвЂ™t recall anything else about that disc and its transfer.Дespite the fact I canвЂ™t comment directly on how each edition compares I still feel itвЂ™s safe to say the film has never looked as good on home video as it does here on the Blu-ray version. If I recall correctly (and looking stuff up online seems to confirm this) the DVD was non-anamorphic, so already this release delivers an obvious upgrade.

I donвЂ™t have the MGM DVD to directly compare with, though saw it many years ago. The dual-layer Blu-ray delivers the film in 1080p/24hz while the dual-layer DVD delivers a standard definition version of the same transfer in widescreen and enhanced for widescreen televisions. The new high-def restoration, taken from a 4k transfer, delivers the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The latest directorвЂ™s cut of Michael MannвЂ™s debut feature film, Thief, receives the Criterion treatment on Blu-ray and DVD in this new dual-format edition.

Thief 1981 blu ray