Of all Fritz Lang’s creations, none have been more innovative or influential than M, the film that launched German cinema into the sound era with stunning sophistication and mesmerising artistry. Peter Lorre gives a legendary performance as the murderer Hans Beckert, who soon finds himself chased by all levels of society.

When a spate of child killings has stricken a terrified Berlin, Beckert is hunted down not only by a desperate, frustrated police force, but - rather more ruthlessly - by the city’s criminal underworld. The explosive revelation of his inner torment remains one of cinema’s great set-pieces. From cinema’s first serial killer hunt, Lang’s film pulls back to encompass social tapestry, police procedural, and underworld conspiracies in an astonishingly multi-faceted and level-headed look at a deeply incendiary topic.

One of the greatest psychological thrillers of all time, this new digital restoration only goes to show that M remains as fresh and startling a whopping 84 years on.

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