Soderbergh's award-winning pulp noir oozes style, slick grit and hepcat sophistication; a tricky cinematic long-con Universal's 1080p/VC-1 encoded transfer handles like a pro. Elliot Davis's palette is as shifty as Foley -- vibrant summer hues, penetrating primaries, sultry reds, savory oranges and rich black levels continually give way to joyless jail-house yellows, icy inner-city blues and blown-out contrast -- but it works its magic regardless. While skintones are decidedly oversaturated at times, it's all within the bounds of Soderbergh's intentions. And detail? Detail is excellent on the whole, boasting well-resolved fine textures, crisp edge definition and shrewd but satisfying shadow delineation. The softness that inevitably appears is solely that of the filmic variety, minor ringing and negligible crush are the only issues of note, and most every other inconsistency that arises is linked to Davis's photography, not the studio's encoding efforts. Is the presentation perfect? Not exactly, but it excels nonetheless. Enjoy.
