1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed. We watched the Criterion Collection, which had the original version, not the David O. Selznick chopped American release.
The Third Man follows Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) as he arrives in post WW2 Vienna, looking to start a job for his friend Harry Lime. Holly expects Harry to be waiting for him at the airport, only to find out that Harry has just died. The police tell Holly that his friend was involved in some very shady racketeering. Holly suspects that Harry was murdered, and tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, mixing it up with Harry's friends, his lover, and the local police.
First off, I love film noir, and this film looked spectacular. The cobblestone streets of Vienna gleamed at night, and the city itself served as an amazing backdrop for this thriller.
The acting was top notch, although I was disappointed that Joesph Cotton and Orson Welles only shared the screen briefly.
The film was enjoyable, but the sense of urgency and danger was never really there for me. Like a true film noir, The Third Man kept me guessing, but once the secret was revealed...the film really lost its steam.
Scale of 1-10, I give it a 7.5. Since this is the first film I reviewed, I have to start somewhere, leaving plenty of room above and below.
In 1999, BFI put this film at #1 on its list. I'm not so sure...
-Todd
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