The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster of Heat which was supervised by director Mann. I did some extensive comparisons between the original U.S. release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and this new release and can confirm that there are indeed some very obvious discrepancies between the two. If you have a very large screen or a projector you will immediately notice improvements in terms of depth and fluidity. The difference is especially obvious during close-ups -- as virtually all of them have a much 'tighter' appearance now -- but during larger panoramic shots delineation is also superior. During a lot of the indoor footage the images also appear better balanced and smoother (not artificially repolished with digital tools). To be perfectly clear, the darker/indoor footage actually makes it quite clear that the master that was used to produce the release is of exceptionally high-quality because density is quite simply outstanding. Furthermore, the color grading is different, though I personally do not find the discrepancy to be substantial thus changing the film's intended atmosphere. During the daylight footage, for instance, it is often easy to tell that there is a shift towards slightly warmer nuances (see screencapture #24 and screencapture #3 from the review of the first release), but the new grading does not create the impression that there is an across-the-board alteration of color values. On the contrary, there are numerous segments where it is quite difficult to pinpoint the difference(s). There are also areas where it appears that the new grading enhances some of the grays and gray nuances, giving the film a slightly more prominent 'steely' appearance. Image stability is outstanding. The encoding is good, though there is still some room for small optimizations. My score is 4.75/5.00.
, I need to get this. And I stopped buying discs, too.
