The Third Man

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1:29

The Third Man

1949

1h 44m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, "The Third Man" stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, who arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Maj. Calloway (Trevor Howard) and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna (Alida Valli).

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Critics Consensus

This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.

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Richard L. Coe

Washington Post

07/26/2022

It’s all neatly sewn together and recalls the early Hitchcock spy chasers, The Lady Vanishes and the 39 Steps. The playing is fitted nicely to the director’s and writer’s specifications and there are some appealing portraits limned by Austrian actors.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

09/08/2019

5/5

Seventy years on such sombreness seems timely, as does Harry Lime, Welles's deliciously elusive antihero.

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Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

08/06/2015

4/4

Krasker's camera reveals a dank, matte, defeated city - so dully vivid as to be a character unto itself - except that this Vienna becomes something altogether different seen at night or underground.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Jul 1

To say “nothing is as it seems” would be accurate but trite. The deeper power of The Third Man is more like “nothing is as it was.”

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Oct 11

9/10

...The Third Man is a banquet that offers so much of everything that you will never run out of things to enjoy within it, even as you may have already had too much of some other things it offers.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

03/27/2025

4/4

One of those rare birds that improves with subsequent viewings, which is saying a lot since an initial viewing immediately pegs it as a cinematic masterpiece.

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Jacqueline R

05/21/2024

It was interesting and has a good twist to it.

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Lam N

05/21/2024

the choice for music is baffling. really takes you out of the movie.

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Alexander G

@agregory Jul 3

The greatest ending scene in any movie – I sometimes rewatch just that. The scene where Harry Lime’s face is revealed by the light from the window above is one of my favorite scenes of all time, and the instrumental theme song is also my favorite theme song.

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Kevin R

@RT42656089 Jun 10

Great movie. A must see. Excellent performances. Thank you.

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Johannes S

@RT64416087 Feb 2

Holds up surprisingly well for such an old movie! Easy to see that it was groundbreaking during it's height.

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Luca D

@JoeCamel7 Jan 22

Another great Welles movie with the only flaw being the Welles cliche in his movies where even though he's a horrible person, everyone adores him for some reason. I guess it's just a narcissistic thing he adds into all of his movies and it kinda ruins every movie of his. Other than that the soundtrack, plot, acting and cinematography were all top notch.

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Carol Reed

Director

Orson Welles

The Third Man

Joseph Cotten

Holly Martins

Trevor Howard

Major Calloway

Alida Valli

Anna Schmidt

Paul Hoerbiger

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The Third Man: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, "The Third Man" stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, who arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Maj. Calloway (Trevor Howard) and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna (Alida Valli).

Director: Carol Reed
Producer: Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, David O. Selznick
Screenwriter: Graham Greene, Alexander Korda, Graham Greene
Distributor: Spiegel Media GmbH, Continental Home Vídeo [br], Warner Home Vídeo, Selznick International Pictures, British Lion Films Ltd., Vintage Video
Production Co: London Film Production, British Lion Film Corporation
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 1, 1949, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $447.0K
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)