1001 Movies Club - Third Man, The (1939)

#221. The Third Man (1949)

Why It's In The Book: "Carol Reed's The Third man effectively transfers the urban nightmare world of Hollywood film noir of the 1940s to a European setting... After All these years, it isn't exactly a surprise, but the moment of revelation...is still magic. Anton Karas's haunting and unforgettable zither theme 'plung-ka-plungs' on the soundtrack... The Third Man's most famous speech... was written by Welles on the spur of the moment as an addition to Greene's script, filling out the character and perhaps securing the picture's lasting greatness. A rare British film that is as accomplished technically as the best of classic Hollywood... The Third Man is an outstanding mix of political thriller, weird romance, gothic mystery, and black-and-white romantic agony... it's a film that constantly shimmers, in its nocturnal cityscapes, its glowing haunted faces, and the gushing waters of the sewers..." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Adolytsi - 10/10
"This is a film to be remembered and inspired by."
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Doug Tilley - 10/10
"From Reed's direction, to the actors (who are uniformly excellent), to the unforgettable music, this is one of those rare instances in film where all of these wonderful separate elements create a cohesive whole."
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johnlgilpatrick - 10/10
"The film is widely remembered for its unique score, as well as Orson Welles' fantastic supporting performance, but it has so much else going for it. It's easily top 10 all-time material for me."
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The Mad Hatter - 10/10
"It seems to me like audiences don’t want to go through cinematic Italian bloodshed and have Michaelangelo and the Renaissance to show for it at the end. They want the peace and tranquility of Switzerland in their movies, and will proudly go home with a cuckoo clock tucked under their arm."
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Michaël Parent - 10/10
"Even with today's fast editing / zapping / fast food movies that Hollywood has to offer to the public The Third Man is still an entertaining film and not just an 'old movie' only critics refer to!"
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Movie Guy Steve - 10/10
"With The Third Man, how could I not look forward to it? Orson Welles! Joseph Cotten! Based on a story by one of my favorite authors, Graham Greene, and with a screenplay adapted by Greene himself! What’s not to love?"
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This Guy Over Here - 10/10
"The Third Man is probably the best non-American noir, if not one of the top all-time film noirs."
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Univarn - 10/10
"Much like our Mr. Lime, the movie is always a little bit tilted. The dark surroundings, countered by the heavy character lighting, present a unique, and sharply split world, for the viewer."
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Brian Vs. Movies - 9.5/10
"[Orson Welles] is a blast to watch, whether it be when he is being charming and enigmatic or just a soulless douchebag."
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bpdreview - 9/10
"While I don’t consider this one of the very best, The Third Man is still wonderful and a must see for anyone that loves great film."
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Robert - 9/10
"The Third Man is certainly not my favorite noir, but it's deservedly a classic, and oddly enough I quite loved it despite its inability to fully capture me emotionally."
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Chip - 8/10
"The Third Man is one of the three must see Orson Welles movies.  The other two are Citizen Kane (1941) and Touch of Evil (1958)."
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Shubhajit Lahiri - 8/10
"Carol Reed's The Third Man isn’t just famous for being a definitive example of film noir, but also for the charismatic presence of Orson Welles as the cynical and delectably amoral antagonist."
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Simon Columb - 8/10
"your actions hit others, repercussions are inevitable - as inevitable as Harry being found out."
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alfindeol - 7/10
"Leave it to the American to mess everything up."
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Squish - 6/10
"It hurts to write a review like this sometimes, going against the tides of established classic film as The Third Man, and for as much as the introduction sets up the film perfectly, that damned guitar - what is that flamenco?! - jumps out at us all too often. As awkward as the first time you asked for your a massage 'with release'."
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Fey - 5/10
"While I appreciated the story and much of the film making in The Third Man, ultimately it didn't end up doing anything for me."
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Overall Rating: 8.8/10