NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (February 2021): Kino have transferred Steven Soderbergh's The Underneath to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and looks strong. The 2.35:1 widescreen image is very pleasing with the use of occasional color shifts and artistic mise-en-scène. The cinematographer is Elliot Davis (who previously worked on Soderbergh's King of the Hill.) It looks excellent on my system with solid detail in 1080P, balanced colors with depth... overall an excellent HD presentation.

A 1080P transfer of The Underneath is also found on Criterion's Blu-ray of Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill. We no longer own it to compare. 

NOTE: We have added 62 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino offers the option of DTS-HD Master (16-bit) tracks in both 5.1 surround or 2.0 channel stereo - both in the original English language. There are aggressive effects in he film - notably the heist - and there are moments of surprising  of separation. I also enjoyed the score by Cliff Martinez (The Limey, The Neon Demon, King of the Hill, Contagion, Traffic, sex, lies and videotape) sounding clean and buoyant in the lossless. The audio is a notable part of the film experience. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian and critic Peter Tonguette. He discusses how Steven Soderbergh was quite vocal about his displeasure with The Underneath - including the unusual opening credits. He comments that the director was less interested in pulp fiction than creating a character study, the relationship to Criss Cross - Tonguette comparing it to his view of the original 1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice and its relationship to the modern 1981 Bob Rafelson's version starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. He sees Soderbergh using the basic outline of the original Criss Cross story as a 'jumping off point'. Tonguette makes the case for the early work of Soderbergh's career being far better than given credit for, he makes a loose comparison to Ang Lee's career arc, and sees The Underneath as 'Antonioni as an armed car heist movie'. I really enjoyed this commentary and it definitely enhanced my appreciation for the film. There is also a theatrical trailer.  

I had only seen Steven Soderbergh's The Underneath once - a long time ago - and remember being fairly unimpressed - even enjoying the neo-noir thriller aspects and, obvious, link to Criss Cross. But Peter Tonguette's commentary really added a solid layer of appreciation from Gallagher's protagonist portrayal - and the support from Joe Don Baker, Paul Dooley, Shelley Duvall (briefly as the nurse), Elisabeth Shue (she could have easily been the femme-fatale 'Rachel' character in The Underneath) and Anjanette Comer. Wow - now a favorite that I have seen twice more since indulging in the commentary - observing a shade more each time. I also gained higher respect for Soderbergh. The Kino Blu-ray gives a fabulous presentation of the film and includes the wonderful, edifying, commentary. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze