User Reviews

Beautiful to look at, there is no beating the black and white faces and European streets. Fairly predictable, though to be fair, I’m sure I have heard the story told along the way, even if I hadn’t seen the movie before. Really only felt engrossed when Orson Welles was on screen, and that’s just way of small of a percentage of the time spent watching.

The movie looks beautiful, the plot isn't outstanding but it has its moments, and the music... doesn't fit here at all. Either way, worth watching.

Its an early, typical noir with a great setting and design. It very strangely has a soft ukulele-like score that, to me, does not fit the setting or story at all. Needed more Orson Welles for sure, he was the best and most interesting part and performer on screen for the few times he was.

The Third Man is a live classic and just one of the best British movies I've seen. At first, you don't understand what can captivate a film shot for almost 80 years in Vienna, destroyed after the war. And then you can't get distracted anymore. A perfect example of European post-war noir. Great detective movie. Excellent acting by Joseph Cotten. Nowadays, noir detectives don't shoot like that. The Third Man's special charm is conveyed by the place of action. Not only does the action take place not in the golden age of Hollywood, but in Europe. So also in Vienna divided into several occupation zones. If you like noir and detective stories, you must watch The Third Man. This is one of the best films of both its genre and the 20th century.

The greatest movie of all time. The plot is captivating, with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. The zither music enchantingly propels the plot. The cinematography is stunning: B&W at its best, with jarring angles and heightened contrast. There are enough comic moments to relieve the tension when needed, an unforgettable chase through underground sewers (the shadowy images enhanced by the amplified sound of rushing water and echoing footsteps), and one of the most memorable speeches in all of cinematic history. This is the standard against which all films should be measured.

Je mets 1 quand même, surtout pour la petite musique guillerette, ces petites notes de musique étrange, cette ritournelle qui tourne en boucle pendant à peu près tout le film… c’est entraînant et énervant en même temps… et ça endort aussi, contre toute attente. Mais je suppose qu’elle est (aussi) censée être ironique. De l’humour anglais sans doute… en effet, c’est même adapté d’un bouquin de Graham Greene, cet auteur qui a écrit moult livres particulièrement soporifiques et pas drôles (malgré l’ironie qu’il prétendait y mettre, paraît-il). Toujours est-il que cette vieille daube est une sorte de comédie poussive et aberrante et aussi un très mauvais film d’espionnage à la mords-moi-le-zob. Ou bien un polar à la godille, mal embouché et navrant de bout en bout. Mais qui a tué Harry alors ? c’est même l’endormisseur en chef Hitchcock qui en a fait un film, soit dit en passant… mais c’était un autre Harry. (le deuxième !).En tout cas, je meuble cette critique avec un brio certain et je n’en suis pas peu fier… que pourrais-je vous dire d’autre à propos de cette vieille daube de film merdique de la fin des années 40 ? ah oui, justement, c’est déjà la guerre froide et ça se passe non pas à Berlin mais à Vienne ! et Vienne était occupée par les vainqueurs, compartimentée elle aussi !… Heureusement, les Rouges ont fini par partir en 1956, il me semble… Vienne a donc eu chaud et toute l’Autriche aussi par la même occasion. Pensez donc, par exemple, que la moitié de l’Allemagne était encore sous le joug de la dictature communiste bolchévique ! Mais je m’égare… nous avons assez brodé à propos d’un vieux film de merde qui n’avance pas d’un poil de cul et n’est même pas drôle, même un peu, y compris sous les mauvais auspices du décadent humour britannique suranné en gelée. Putain, quelle bouse à 1 de tension !

A work close to perfection. Perfect noir, suspenseful, enigmatic, with a great main character. The direction, playing with shadows against the backdrop of Vienna is absolutely phenomenal.

I wasn't hooked by The Third Man until Orson Welles' first appearance (in a brilliant scene by the way). Performances and screenplay were OK and the score was cute but absolutely anticlimatic for me. Its most remarkable achievements are the persecution's staging, the stunning cinematography and uso of light/shadows, and a great ending.

This movie is film-noir at it's finest. While it is mysterious, moody and clever, this thriller uses atmosphere to great effect and it really elevates this movie.

All-time classic great mystery with fantastic post-war Vennia. It uses of lighting was groundbreaking at the time and is still amazing today. You can't call yourself a film-buff if you haven't seen this masterpiece

Another legendary picture that I'm — mostly — regretting not seeing sooner, Carol Reed's "The Third Man" might be the benchmark film noir in terms of pacing and structure, with a first and second act that unfolds in a deliberate, yet engrossing manner and a relentless finale that leaves you absolutely speechless. These narrative attributes are thanks in no small part to master storyteller and novelist Graham Greene, who penned the film's screenplay. This is a project that takes great pride in its slow burn approach, offering up a veneer of normalcy to the viewer, but with little nuances in the dialogue, tonality and camerawork to let you know something's not quite right here. Once the reveals come, though, I'll say I had a consistently pervasive smile on my face. Any and every scene with Orson Welles is nothing short of iconic. That's not to take away from Joseph Cotten's commendable lead turn. It's just that, with the way the movie sets everything up involving Welles character, you really can't help but leave the screening remembering every scene involving him. And, while I will admit that I personally didn't care for the score (it is admittedly good music, but I also felt it didn't really fit the tone and mood of the film overall), this is still a fantastic watch.

I like it very much.Especially this soundtrack.Film for all times! There also were great actors` perfomances and great direction

Orson Welles gives a scene-stealing performance in this gorgeous looking noir mystery.

Stylish classic noir features Orson Welles' most appealing performance. Post War Vienna, doesn't look pretty. A city filled with schemers and criminals, who populate its' dark alleys and sewers. Morals go out the window in this sordid environment, which is part of the movies attraction. Only drawback is the movie's deliberate pace. But once it achieves take off speed, there is so much fun to be had.

Some of the greatest individual scenes in the history of film, for example, the journey of the cat across the street, the view from the ferris wheel, Harry Lime's fingers sticking through the rain gutter. A real masterpiece of acting, screenwriting, and cinematography.

Trust Or Mistrust. The Third Man Reed's impressive tricks on hiding the trump card right under your nose has old magic and familiar structure hidden in there. And even though this uncertain shady streets follows a typical cat and mouse chase, unfortunately there seems to be very little skin in the game on terms of narration. And despite of the fact that the storyline suggests the inseparable chemistry between the lead characters, there is very little romance among the antics. Plummeting downwards by an immense pressure of almost overstuffed material, Reed seems to be in some sort of hurry to catch up the next act. In order to do so, it achieves a ferocious pace but doesn't quite glorifies the thrills and stakes of the circumstances. The makers could have easily milked out more cinema by savoring the concept and slowing down the procedure for a better effect. Nevertheless these minor complications can easily be leapt over by a gripping thriller that it maps out on screen. Welles as the ultimate flip of the act, has unfortunately a one dimension side of his to portray, and yet with spooky expressive performance, he sticks the landing. Cotten as the leader that we all follow, the victim, the protagonist, has fairly much wider room to factor in along with Valli's love angle. No matter how thought provoking and absorbing Reed's world is, it certainly is too mechanical to bubble up as a free spirit. There are too many strings tied for it to be independent of the traffic which at times holds it back; the semantics is the double edged sword, both productive and consuming. The donated blood and sweat of Reed pays off for his meticulous execution that still holds up after decades. The Third Man is the pre-war inquisitive concept that is held by an equally opposite competitive action.

Easily one of my all-time favorites. I mean, Orson Welles isn't in a ton of this movie, yet his moments pierce into you like nothing else!