Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. I was expecting 'The Third Man' to be some awesome Noir thriller but instead we get the boring version of it like seriously i get it some of those movies back in the 30's and 40's did well for their time but now in 2018? They look pretty terrible, sound terrible and their just either very boring or very long and this movie is on the first side of things. Some people will enjoy it but others will just get bored by it. (0/10)

Graham Greene's contemporary variant on the Dracula legend is one of the most watchable films ever made. (Dracula? Think about it. Postwar Vienna, a whole city of crumbling towers and ruined splendors = Dracula's castle. And Dracula himself, a vampire brought back to life from "death", dressed all in black, who flees from the light and gorges himself on human blood, yet is a charming fellow withal: fluently fascinating, casually contemptuous, lightheartedly ruthless, cheerfully sinister. Even the second death does not kill his powers. Over Anna, for instance). Yes, this engrossing, masterfully designed thriller stands as my favorite suspense film. And the number one choice of a large number of other commentators too. Not to mention the general public. I think the reason for such universal acclaim is that the script operates so successfully on so many different levels. A thinking man's film, but the thinking nowhere gets in the way of the simple chase and suspense excitements, mounted against such an exotic background as postwar Vienna. In fact, the ordinary entertainment seeker who thrilled to the pursuit, the mystery, the intrigue, the twists and surprises, the terrors, the romance of the basic plot, would probably be surprised to learn there was anything more to the movie, aside from the facts that it was involvingly acted, atmospherically presented, and scored in an astonishingly novel yet gripping way with zither music. The acting is superlative too. Joseph Cotten has one of his best roles as the naïve, second-rate writer who blunders through the labyrinthine ways of a decaying city to find his alter ego-Orson Welles in a memorable performance that outshines even his Citizen Kane. Oddly, Alida Valli's moody, beautifully understated yet perfectly-in-tune portrayal of the girlfriend who knows more than she pretends, who expresses less than she feels, was not properly appreciated by contemporary critics. Perhaps we cannot blame them. It is only on a third or fourth viewing that the spectator can penetrate Anna's mind, can see through her devices, her little subterfuges, so that her absolute rejection of Martins in the film's famous final scene comes no longer as a surprise, but is the logical and only outcome of feelings and emotions she has subtly hinted at through voice and gesture right throughout the movie. However, the principals are not the only actors in The Third Man. It always amazes me that so many critics even today comment only on the well-known British and American stars. Everybody talks about the blundering, self-centered, morosely manipulative Cotten; the enigmatic, expressively introspective charm of Valli; the mercilessly unremorseful, light-hearted banter of Welles; the rough-and-ready cynical sincerity of straight-from-the-shoulder Howard; the admiring, quick-reflexed yet ideally subordinate Bernard Lee; the wonderfully diffuse bonhomie of Wilfrid Hyde-White. But few critics talk about the German-speaking players, particularly Ernst Deutsch (Baron Kurtz) with his sanpaku eyes and rubbery smile; or Erich Ponto (Dr Winkel), with his craggily carved features and his amusing insistence on the correct pronunciation of his surname; or the menacingly heavy-set Siegfried Breuer (Popescu); or the repentantly volatile Paul Hoerbiger (the porter). With the exception of Ernst Deutsch, who was mainly based in the theatre, these players enjoyed extraordinarily lengthy cinema careers. Karas' contrapuntal and atmospherically moody zither music, along with Krasker's sinisterly somber cinematography, perhaps deservedly receive most of the technical hurrahs from critics and public. A pity these praises sometimes overlook such features as Reed's painstakingly meticulous direction and Oswald Hafenrichter's fast-paced film editing that often cuts in time or tune with the zither beats on the soundtrack.

Don't think I've got much to add about this film, which I can't believe I only saw for the first time this weekend, considering all the good I've heard about it. It's so expertly made, one scene plays right into the next perfectly, it's constructed and shot masterfully, the cinematography is both beautiful and bizarre at times, and the performances Movie Star classic. The scene that lasts five minutes or so when Joseph Cotton meets Orson Welles and they talk for the first time at the ferris wheel is one of the most interesting, suspenseful and well-acted sequences in any movie I've seen, ever. Can't say enough good things about this, especially because so many already have. If you've not seen "The Third Man," you must.

Has there ever been a film where the music more perfectly suited the action than in Carol Reed's "The Third Man"? Anton Karas is responsible for this unforgettable soundtrack. At the beginning, he wasn't part of the film, but after one day of filming, Reed and some cast members (Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles) had dinner and retired to a wine cellar, where they heard the zither music of Karas, a 40-year-old musician, who was playing only for tips. When Reed heard him, he realized that this music was perfect for his film.The film begins with the spoken prologue "I never knew the old Vienna, before the war. . ." On the background it is presented post-war Vienna. After the war, Vienna was divided in 4 zones: French, British, American and Russian. American pulp Western novel writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) comes to the city seeking his old best friend, Harry Lime. Upon arrival he finds out that Harry was killed by a truck while crossing the street. Martins attends Lime's funeral, where he meets two British policeman. One of them is Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee), a huge fan of Martins' novels, and Major Calloway (Trevor Howard), who says Lime was a criminal and suggests Martins leave town. After the funeral Martins goes with Major Calloway to have a drink. Calloway says that Lime was the biggest gangster in the city, but Martins didn't believe him, and starts a fight. Calloway send Martins to a hotel with Sergeant Paine. At the hotel Martins met Crabbin, who is the head of a discussion group, about culture. Crabbin is offering to pay for his lodging, in exchange for a lecture about American culture at his group.Viewing this an opportunity to clear his friend's name, Martins decides to remain in Vienna. He receives a call from "Baron" Kurtz (Ernst Deutch), who tells Martins that he, along with another friend, Popescu (Siegfried Breuer), carried Lime to the side of the street after the accident. After that he goes to Lime's place, where he meets the porter (Paul Hörbiger), who says that Lime was carried by three men. He also finds out, that Lime had a girlfriend Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), who was acting in a play at Josephstadt.From now on the suspense and adventure begins. Who killed Lime? Why? Who was the third man? If you want to find out you have to watch this amazing noir film. This is one of my favourite movies, with an unforgettable story, music, and characters. I hope you will consider to watch it, because you won't regret it.