Rated: Unrated

Inspired by Gun Crazy, Joseph H Lewis's B-movie film noir, and made with the assistance of Francois Truffaut and Claude Chabrol, this was the keystone of the French New Wave. A homage to such fatalistic heroes as Jean Gabin and Humphrey Bogart, Jean-Luc Godard's masterpiece employed just about every cinematic trick associated with the nouvelle vague: location shooting, direct sound, hand-held footage (masterfully shot by Raoul Coutard), Jump cuts, in-jokes and visual tributes to master film-makers.

Jean-Paul Belmondo is superbly shambolic as the petty thief whose brief dalliance with American newspaper vendor Jean Seberg precipitates his demise. The film's influence is incalculable.

In French with English subtitles.