Overview
A gripping exploration of truth and deception in a city divided by war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- sinister
- suspenseful
- classic cinema night
- rainy evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Carol Reed's film as an exceptionally atmospheric and inventive noir thriller, praising its visual bravura, tension, performances, and vividly realized postwar Vienna despite some reservations about plot logic and tilted compositions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carol Reed repeatedly frames Vienna with sloping horizons and high-contrast noir imagery, making the city feel unstable and uncanny.
The black market, supply shortages, and Harry Lime's exploitation of vulnerable civilians connect the personal mystery to postwar corruption.
The story moves through sector-divided Vienna, cemeteries, streets, sewers, and black-market networks where no account is fully trustworthy.
Holly Martins first encounters Harry Lime through rumors, inconsistent witness accounts, and the staged-death mystery surrounding his identity.
Films like The Third Man, and why
The Maltese Falcon
shared postwar film noir atmosphere, morally compromised characters, urban investigation, and betrayal
Touch of Evil
shared black-and-white noir cinematography, investigative suspense, and ambiguous moral landscapes
Casablanca
shared European espionage tension, damaged postwar settings, and friendship complicated by betrayal
M
shared atmospheric mystery, expressionist visual design, and a morally troubling central enigma
Movie Details
- Director
- Carol Reed
- Release Date
- 1949-08-31
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (2187)
Cast
- Joseph Cotten
- Alida Valli
- Trevor Howard
- Orson Welles
- Paul Hörbiger
- Ernst Deutsch
- Erich Ponto
- Siegfried Breuer
- Hedwig Bleibtreu
- Bernard Lee
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- IndieFlix, Cineverse, BFI Player Amazon Channel, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Third Man about?
- In divided postwar Vienna, a pulp novelist investigates his friend's suspicious death and finds a noir labyrinth of black markets, betrayal, and moral compromise.
- What is The Third Man like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Third Man as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Third Man violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Third Man as mild.
- What did critics think of The Third Man?
- Critics broadly regard Carol Reed's film as an exceptionally atmospheric and inventive noir thriller, praising its visual bravura, tension, performances, and vividly realized postwar Vienna despite some reservations about plot logic and tilted compositions.
- Which films are like The Third Man?
- Films with a similar feel include The Maltese Falcon, Touch of Evil, Casablanca, and M.
- How long is The Third Man?
- The Third Man runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Third Man?
- In United States, The Third Man streams on IndieFlix, Cineverse, BFI Player Amazon Channel, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, Artiflix.
