The Third Man: Movie Review, DVD Review

Directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, 104 minutes, not rated.

Carol Reed's 1950 classic, "The Third Man," a British noir based on Graham Greene's script, stars Joseph Cotton as Holly Martins, a naïve American trying to track down an old college friend named Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in post World War II Vienna.

Good luck to Holly.

When he arrives in Vienna, he soon learns that Harry has been murdered, leaving in his wake a gorgeous, loyal girlfriend named Anna (Alida Valli), who may or may not know more about Harry's death than anyone.

Not that Anna is talking. Still, persistent Holly, a writer of cheap Westerns that sell well in the States, has a nose for things that don't smell right, particularly when something stinks as badly as the "facts" surrounding Harry's death. Plaguing it are a wealth of inconsistencies and doubletalk, with Holly quickly coming to the conclusion that all isn't what it seems.

In spite of his detractors--not the least of which is Trevor Howard's tenacious Maj. Calloway--good-natured, hard-drinking Holly eventually learns what few want him to know. It turns out that Harry was a war criminal and a drug dealer who dealt in diluted penicillin, thus proving directly responsible for harming and killing thousands. He might still be alive, having staged his own death.

But what will become of Harry should Holly find him? And what will become of Holly should Harry be cornered?

What ensues isn't an eager crowdpleaser. It's distinctly British, mischievous, restrained and off-beat, with a wonderfully bizarre zither score by Anton Karas and cinematography by Robert Krasker that defines the genre--it smacks of German expressionism.

Infused with Hitchcockean undertones, the film wants to keep you at arm's length, and it succeeds. It's meant to be isolating, with long stretches spoken in German without subtitles. That choice will be off putting to some, but it's actually rather brilliant. It allows you to feel Holly's isolation as he roots around the rubbles of Vienna for Harry, snubbed by a country that's not his own.

The film builds to a terrific ending, with the sewers of Vienna giving themselves over to a wildly paranoiac chase scene, the likes of which occasionally feel as if shadows are chasing shadows. Also strong are the performances, from the smaller, colorful bit roles played by character actors straight down to Cotton, Valli and Welles. Apart, these three are a force. But when they collide--and they do collide here--they turn "The Third Man" into a singular achievement.

Grade: A

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