Mikio Naruse is a commonly overlooked Japanese director, one whose works deserve to be more widely seen. This episode examines his 1954 masterpiece Sound of the Mountain (Yama no oto) a domestic melodrama starring the great Setsuko Hara in one of the leading roles.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Quotations read by Lara Bradban.

Ridley Scott's flawed cop thriller Black Rain (1989) has a far more complex and innovate subtext than a film as formulaic as this deserves. This episode explores the subtext and the films subtle contortions of cop thriller clichés.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 film Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) is easily the best animated feature film of the last decade. Miyazaki drops us into a world we don't understand and lets us work out the rules of this world as we go along.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Additional writing by Wilson McLachlan. Quotations read by Lara Bradban.

Lynne Ramsay's sophomore feature film Morvern Callar (2002) is a beautiful if aimless tale of a vacant super market employee who travels to Ibiza after her boyfriend commits suicide. The Guardian ranked this as the most under rated film of the last decade.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Three Strange Loves (Törst) is one of the best early films from Ingmar Bergman. Released in 1949 is provides a solid touchstone for the themes that would later be so important to the Swedish masters works.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Quotations read by Will Tristram.

Part conspiracy thriller, part science fiction, part action adventure. Peter Hyams' under rated 1977 fake-mars-landing centred feature film Capricorn One demonstrates what a talent Hyams had for high-octane action and witty dialogue early in his career.

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Peter Strickland's utlra low budget revenge tale Katalin Varga (2009) is a great example of how to make a highly effective film with only the essentials. Where Hollywood so frequently flounders with excessive finance, Strickland succeeds with barely any money.

Tom Clancy's spy novels have been adapted to the silver screen for many years. John McTiernan's The Hunt For the Red October (1990), Phillip Noyce's Patriot Games (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994) and Phil Alden Robinson's Sum of All Fears (2002). Whilst the quality has waxed and waned the politics have remained fairly consistent.

His fourth feature film as director is part ghost story, part political drama, but at all times - a Kieslowski film.

Part two of this double episode examining Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's 1990's cop drama based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.