Widely celebrated for his late career masterpieces L'Armée des ombres (Army in the Shadows) and Le Samourai, Jean-Pierre Melville, his earlier films have also recently been the subject of enthusiastic revival, and few directors have been as well supported by Criterion, who have released five of the films from 14 movie career. Well they're now about to hit the half-way mark with the announcement of two more works from this remarkable filmmaker, the 1962 Le doulos and the 1966 Le deuxième souffle.

The backstabbing criminals in the shadowy underworld of Melville's Le doulos have only one guiding principle: "Lie or die." A stone-faced Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as enigmatic gangster Silien, who may or may not be responsible for squealing on Faugel (Serge Reggiani), just released from the slammer and already involved in what should have been a simple heist. By the end of this brutal, twisty, and multilayered policier, who will be left to trust? Shot and edited with Melville's trademark cool and featuring masterfully stylised dialogue and performances, Le doulos (slang for an informant) is one of the filmmaker's most gripping crime dramas.

Criterion's DVD of Le doulos will have the following features:

• New, restored high-definition 1.66:1 anamorphic digital transfer;
• Selected-scene audio commentary by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris;
• Video interviews with directors Volker Schlöndorff and Bertrand Tavernier, who served as assistant director and publicity agent, respectively, on the film;
• Archival interviews with Melville and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo and Serge Reggiani;
• Original theatrical trailer;
• New and improved subtitle translation;
• A new essay by film critic Glenn Kenny.

In Le deuxième souffle, with his customary restraint and ruthless attention to detail, director Jean-Pierre Melville follows the parallel tracks of French underworld criminal Gu (the inimitable Lino Ventura), escaped from prison and roped into one last robbery, and the suave inspector, Blot (Paul Meurisse), relentlessly seeking him. The implosive Le deuxième souffle captures the pathos, loneliness, and excitement of a life in the shadows with methodical suspense and harrowing authenticity, and contains one of the most thrilling heist sequences Melville ever shot.

The DVD of Le deuxieme souffle will have the following features:

• New, restored high-definition 1.66:1 anamorphic digital transfer;
• Audio commentary by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris, and film critic Geoff Andrew of the British Film Institute;
• New video interview with director Bertrand Tavernier, who served as publicity agent on the film;
• Archival footage featuring interviews with Melville and Lino Ventura;
• Original theatrical trailer;
• New and improved subtitle translation;
• A new essay by film critic Adrian Danks.

Both DVDs will be released on US DVD by Criterion in October 2008 (exact date to be confirmed) at the SRP of $39.95 each.