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Thief (1981)
Thief (1981) poster
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Thief (1981)

Crime, Thriller, Drama • 2h 3m

Director: Michael Mann

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IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best English-friendly & video release · updated yesterday

Video notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and is better than Criterion, see caps https://slow.pics/c/Z2RRQAAT

Criterion 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray: caps colors are more different and nuanced than anticipated even in the SDR-converted caps and the usual gain in highlight detail is also apparent. Encode looks excellent except for the brightest areas as usual.

UHD tiers

Excellent
Arrow:

Accurate colors, even better encoding on the Arrow by FiM

Solid
Criterion:

Accurate colors

Superior Imports
Arrow UHD > Criterion UHD:

even better encoding on the Arrow by FiM

Overview

Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.

Release details

Best Audio Release

5.1/5.0 mix (essentially a 4-track mix in 5.1 and 5.0 containers respectively)-Arrow/Criterion 4K Blu-ray. Only imperceptible differences in bit-depth: 20 vs 24. 

2.0 mix- Arrow 4K Blu-ray (original stereo)

Additional Info

Arrow and Criterion 4K Blu-rays have differing extras 

Criterion has FEL Dolby Vision, Arrow has MEL

Arrow Limited Edition includes the Theatrical Cut Blu-ray from an older HD master, most likely from a 2K scan of an interpositive.

Featured Lists
Length
123 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in Perfect Release

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Director: Tony Scott

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering Comparison between the Criterion and WB.

Best Audio:

5.1: WB 4K Blu-ray, a remix but has higher fidelity

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)

Director: John Boorman

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: highdefdiscnews.com (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(Arrow 4K Blu-ray's mono seems to be out of sync, suggested by comparisons. Issue is TBC officially)

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded, see caps

Additional Info:

Arrow LE will have an exclusive 3rd disc which will not be on the standard edition

Director: Lewis Teague

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray 

Video Notes:

> disappointing US Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray / R1 Lionsgate DVD sounds best and has the original mono and the R1 Lionsgate DVD has a Dolby Stereo remix

Director: Jacques Demy

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming on October 20th with FiM encode

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray

Director: Terry Jones

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray; caps

Additional Info:

The Criterion BD, which is sold separately, has a clunky encode unlike the Criterion UHD, even if it plays better in motion than the caps would suggest. Still, provided you're equipped to play 4K discs, UHD or bust for this one. https://slow.pics/c/hmDYlKgE

Director: Miloš Forman

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Theatrical: WB 4K Blu-ray
Extended: Warner Bros Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray: Huge improvement in colors and detail. The restoration was done by the Academy instead of WB MPI which explains that there’s no grain management or issues with colors. They also accessed the original credit optical and scanned that one instead of recreating them digitally

Audio Notes:

Theatrical: WB 4K Blu-ray, according to Saentz, the 5.0 is a recreation of the original and subsequently 70mm mix from original elements.

Director: John Woo

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

> US Shout! Factory, better encoding by Engine House and redone opening credits, errors present in Shout! Factory fixed

Audio Notes:

Mono is from an alternate higher fidelity source than Shout! Factory.

Director: John Schlesinger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

Included Imprint Blu-Ray also has markedly better image compression than the Criterion Blu-Ray, though do note the Imprint has some adjusted color grading within roughly the first five minutes of the film

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=16775595&postcount=450

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24237074&postcount=73

More from Michael Mann

See more →

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly:

88 Films UK Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray  in December

Best Video:

88 Films UK Blu-ray for both cuts 

Best Audio:

88 Films Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

88 Films Blu-ray is missing Michael Mann commentary for the DC found on other BDs

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray

Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Theatrical Cut: Old Warner Bros DVD or fan restoration

Revised Cut: 2012 Japan Blu-ray for less revisionist colors, 2022 Disney 4K Blu-ray is controversially regraded and too dark overall.

Best Audio:

LaserDisc 2.0 (restores censored dialog). Comparison of 5.1 mixes
For the 5.1: LaserDisc AC3 vs US DVD AC3 vs Japan DVD DTS

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Netherlands Remain in Light or UK Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Netherlands Remain in Light or UK Universal 4K Blu-ray, See caps: Ferrari (2023) | Slowpoke Pics

Best Audio:

Netherlands Remain in Light

Additional Info:

All three discs come from the same master and share the same Dolby Vision grade, with identical dynamic metadata and CMv4.0 on all three. The Eagle Pictures disc is the only Profile 7 FEL, the Remain in Light and Universal UK discs are both MEL. On paper that gives the Italian finer coding precision, but it doesn't buy anything on this film, the grain is heavy enough to hide base layer quantisation on its own and none of the three discs bands. It also costs something, the Eagle Pictures encode noticeably smooths grain in flatter, low contrast areas, so a fair bit of fine texture that both other discs keep is simply gone. Edges and overall definition are fine, but the Dutch and UK discs clearly hold the film's texture better and are the ones to get. Between those two it's very close, with the Dutch keeping slightly more grain across most of the scenes checked. Worth noting as well, the Dutch and UK discs have their title cards in English while the Italian keeps them in Italian.
Caps comp: Ferrari (2023) | Slowpoke Pics

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical/Director's Cut: Shout! Factory Blu-ray
Hybrid Theatrical Cut: Anchor Bay "Theatrical" DVD
Final Cut: upcoming UK StudioCanal Final Cut 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

UK StudioCanal Final Cut 4K Blu-ray

Director: Michael Mann

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

OOP KL Blu-ray

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount/Plaion Spain/Italy 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Paramount/Plaion Spain/Italy 4K Blu-ray has better encoding than the US 4K Blu-ray.

Best Audio:

Paramount US 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

The EUR 4K has missing dialog.

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical: Universum Film Germany Blu-ray 2004 Director's Cut: Sony Director's Cut DVD 2017 Director's Cut: Sony Blu-ray

Best Video:

Theatrical: Universum Film Germany Blu-ray (caveat: not entirely English friendly, R1 DVD for a more English friendly release)
2004 Director's Cut: Sony Director's Cut DVD
2017 Director's Cut: Sony Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Theatrical: The UK DVD

Audio Notes:

Theatrical: The UK DVD has a DTS 5.1 track

Additional Info:

The Sony Blu-ray is missing the commentary from the DC DVD

Michael Mann changed it so much for the new cut that it no longer lined up.

Director: Michael Mann

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray has the same audio as Vinegar Syndrome

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: Michael Mann

Best English-Friendly:

Disney Blu-ray

Best Video:

More from Criterion

See more →

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored for US Cut; both US and International Cuts are 4K.

Best Audio:

1999 WB DVD/Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

No Blu-ray or DVD release until the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has presented the US in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The International Cut has never been presented in it's OAR of 1.66:1 in any home video releases.

The packaging on the back of the WB 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray. 

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored

Best Audio:

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)/1999 WB R1 DVD
5.1 remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray 

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Sony release without the filtering; Comparison between Sony and Criterion.

Best Audio:

Mono: 1994 LaserDisc (marginally, unfiltered) or Criterion 4K Blu-ray (filtered)
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering; WB 4K early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed. Comparison between Criterion and WB.

Best Audio:

6-Track 70mm mix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set), 1997 MGM LaserDisc, 1998 MGM DVD
35mm Mono Mix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Matrixed Stereo Remix: MGM Japan LaserDisc (1985) [G158F5509]
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Steve James

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray and UK Dogwoof Blu-ray probably similar

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Joel Coen

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=21782879#post21782879 - comparison. StudioCanal is a massive improvement to the Criterion but still flawed in some areas (chroma noise)

Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Criterion DVD

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2022 BFI Boxset Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Tartan DVD, Criterion DVD

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI has boosted contrast and crushed blacks

Best Audio:

Tartan DVD

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