Rating: 
Summary: An absolute masterpiece.
Review: Director Carol Reed's "The Third Man", is a brilliant, stylish masterpiece that is often mentioned among the greatest films ever made. The story takes place in post-war Vienna, where a writer named Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) has just arrived to find his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), has been hit by a truck. After meeting one of Harry's friends, Holly begins to wonder about whether Harry's death was an accident or not. There's something that isn't right and Holly wants to find out. From then on, it's suspense, memorable characters and brilliance till the end."The Third Man" is outstanding in so many aspects, but it's mostly remembered for a few things. Its use of tilted camera shots is a great little touch that really adds a lot. And of course there's the zither music, the cinematography and the look of post-war Vienna itself. "The Third Man" is full of classic scenes from Orson Welles' famous entrance to the scene with Orson and Joseph on Vienna's "Giant Wheel" to the tense and atmospheric ending in the sewers. There aren't a lot of movies that are better than the "The Third Man". It's a classic, no doubt about it, and its one of the greatest movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: One of the top films of all time.
Review: This film certainly has enough top reviews here, hence there is little reason to discuss storyline intricacies. More to comment on the negative reviews seen below: anyone who does not like this movie does not understand postwar WWII Europe (or history). So, if you don't know your history and geography...if you can't find Austria on a map, etc...go away, you are not in good order to fully understand/appreciate the film. However, if you are not in the above category, this film will not fail you in any way. Third Man has to rank in the top 50 films ever made and certainly it is in my top ten.
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: I have been reading the reviews of this movie and am somewhat shocked on the bad reviews. This movie is a classic from the zither music down to the camera angles and the story. This is concerning post war Vienna, and yes Joseph Cotton is concerned with the death of his friend, and rightly so, he knew what business Harry was into and the outcomes of his dealings. The other Siskels who rated this film amaze me in their shallow insight. The movie is a classic for a very good reason, it is a great film.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent movie with tons of extras
Review: The Criterion Collection has put together an excellent DVD complete with plenty of additional and supportive content. I found both the photo collection with explanations and the Greene treatment particularly interesting and enjoyable. The Greene treatment is designed to play in place of the soundtrack of the movie, but I think it's best experienced with the TV turned off, listened to like a radio broadcast. It's something of a shame that The Third Man is so closely associated with Orson Welles, because many people assume he directed it. In fact it is Carol Reed's masterpiece. This is a movie that is enjoyable to film buffs and to more typical modern audiences. It is a mystery with a hook and surprising plot twists, and it contains a love story, or rather a story of love unreturned. The final scene following the second funeral when Anna walks toward the camera through falling leaves is perhaps the finest example of the poetry of the cinema that I know.
Rating:
Summary: "Sometimes I wonder whether it really was an accident"
Review: And with that half-considered remark by Valli, Joseph Cotten is struck as if by lightning and the zither music wells up into an impassioned frenzy. This is Sir Carol Reed's absolutely perfect film, "The Third Man", about a hapless American named Holly Martins (Cotten) who comes to postwar Vienna at the invitation of an old school chum, Harry Lime. What a surprise is in store for him when he is told that that very day is his friend's funeral, having been knocked down by a speeding automobile. Cotten does a marvelous job as a clutzy hero, trying to solve a murder nobody else believes was committed and trying also to win his school chum's girlfriend Anna (Valli) on the rebound. Excellent supporting cast including Trevor Howard as Calloway, the British officer in charge of the investigation, and a wonderful foreign cast. "The Third Man" was filmed on location among the ruins of Vienna following the Second World War, and uses very sophisticated camera work to convey a world Harley just can't master. One of the best films of the 20th century, without a doubt...
Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE,BORING, AND POINTLESS!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I love old films, especially ones that make you think, but this film STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely hated this film, and actually give it 0 stars. I have seen a few Orson wells films, and have not liked any of them, and I think a boring script, and bad preformance from Wells brings this film down. Everyone says this film is so great, and I thought it STUNK!!!!!!!! Make sure to avoid this film and all of it's good reviews at ALL costs.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece!
Review: I was blown away the first time I saw The Thid Man! Everything about this film is genius. It takes place in the after shock of war of a torn a sunder Vienna. The streets full of shadows and cobble stones drenched in mist and puddles. Holly Martins (Cotten) is called to the city to attend his beloved friend Harry Lime's (Welles) funeral while he plans for his visit to be short he finds things aren't as they seem and Harry may not be dead and Martins also falls for Harry's lover played by Valdi. The camera angles are constantly changing giving the viewer a feeling of unbalance and unease. The acting is perfection Cotton is perfect as Harry Lime. The director Reed, wanted James Stewart but thank god Sleznick wanted Cotton. Stewart's everyman looks and drawl voice would have slowed the pace of the film greatly. Instead Cotten gives Martins a snide and swarmy appeal and in the end you never question why Cotten's Character befriended Welles' Lime. Because Martins'(Cotten) has a little of Lime's (Welles) persona in him. Valli is brilliant in her role as Anna Schmidt. She is both distant and lonely for her departed lover and will always love the man she thought Lime was instead of the monster that he is. Welles is brilliant! When we first see him in the building's foyer he smiles like only Wellels can. Like he knows something we never will it's not a smurk but a hint of evil lurks behind his eyes and cherub face. This film is mesmerizing! Watch how Anna just goes through Lime's apartment knowing where everything is without even looking down to find what she is looking for-even though she just told the authorities she's never been there. Listen to how she constantly confuses the first names of Cotten's and Welles' similiarly named characters Holly and Harry! Little nuances like this makes films of this stature a gem to own. The final chase scenes through the vast and maze like sewers of Vienna is both daunting and claustrophobic to watch! And when welles slivers his hand through the grate your heart skips a beat. Simply the best thriller ever made!
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable - Welles at his best
Review: Orson Welles is not the star of "The Third Man" - Joseph Cotton is the star. Welles has a very small part - under fifteen minutes of screen time. However, Orson Welles is all anyone remembers, or rather he is the first thing people remember about this classic film. Released in England in 1949, "The Third Man" didn't open in the US until the following year. Too bad. It would easily have been the best picture of 1949 - possibly winning the Oscar over "All the King's Men." But, no. It came up against "All About Eve" and "Sunset Blvd" - and wasn't even nominated for best picture of 1950 (neither were "The Asphalt Jungle" or "Panic in the Streets"). Still, Orson should have won the Oscar for supporting actor over George Sanders in "All About Eve." Buy this video. See for yourself. Orson shows why he truly was one of the greatest movie stars off all time. You'll never forget him.
Rating:
Summary: A "Classic" In Every Sense
Review: A classic tale of suspense and intrigue set in post WWll Vienna, "The Third Man," directed by Carol Reed, stars Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. Looking for work, American pulp fiction novelist Holly Martins (Cotton) arrives in Vienna to accept a job he has been offered by his old friend, Harry Lime (Welles), who he has not seen in many years. But Martins is greeted at his hotel-- not by Lime, as he had expected-- but with the news that Lime is dead, having been hit by a truck two days earlier. Arriving in time for the funeral, where he takes note of those in attendance, Martins afterwards makes the acquaintance of a select few who knew and were involved with his old friend, Harry, beginning with a representative of the authorities, a certain Major Calloway (Trevor Howard). Lime, it seems, was a wanted man, connected with some nefarious dealings on the black market. Initially, Martins is skeptical, but it's only the beginning of the mystery that is about to unfold about him. In talking with those who knew Lime best, especially those present at the time of the accident, Martins begins to notice some inconsistencies in their accounts of what happened that day. And the one discrepancy that bothers him the most is that in the official report, two men were said to have carried Lime-- just after he was hit-- from the street to the sidewalk, still alive at that point; but an eyewitness Martins uncovers claims that, not only was Lime killed instantly, but that another man-- a third man-- helped carry him. So the mystery begins; the report says two men were with him when he died, and heard his last words. A reliable witness, however, puts someone else at the scene. And Martins realizes that therein lies the key; that to find out what really happened to Harry, he must learn the identity of the third man. Working from the exceptionally well written screenplay by Graham Greene, Reed rivals the best of Hitchcock with this richly textured, stylistic offering. The mystery begins to mount with the opening narration (by Reed in the British version, by Cotton in the U.S.)-- delivered in a conversational tone that is in itself unique compared to the usual cinematic narrative form-- and the tension-filled suspense begins to build from the moment Martins arrives, and is maintained by Reed until the denouement. And-- in a sense--beyond, right up until the final frame of the film. Outstanding performances, combined with the stark black & white photography (for which cinematographer Robert Krasker won an Oscar)-- enhanced by Reed's artistic handling of the camera and his use of light and shadows-- as well as the zither-driven score by Anton Karas, makes this one of the most memorable mysteries ever filmed. Cotton delivers a brilliantly understated performance as Martins, which provides a solid foundation upon and around which the mystery surrounding Lime develops. And though Lime is afforded little actual screen time as Martins assembles the bits and pieces he's uncovered through his investigation, his enigmatic presence is felt in every scene as if he were there. When he does appear, Welles embodies him in such a way that the mystique of this man that has been so cleverly and acutely developed is effectively maintained. Welles, in fact, with his naturally dominating countenance was the perfect choice to play Lime, and he certainly delivers. His few scenes with Cotton, especially one that takes place on a ferris wheel (which offers a telling perspective into Lime's character), are the most memorable of the entire film. Cotton's performance, however, is the real thread that holds it all together, and as Martins, he demonstrates his generosity as an actor; for it's that "regular guy" persona with which he imbues his character, that insures the emergence of Welles' Lime as so larger-than-life. The same can be said, as well, for the effectiveness with which the mystery of the woman in Lime's life, Anna (Alida Valli), is established. Again, Martins becomes the sounding board through which Valli's character reverberates so convincingly. Her performance is strong, but her interaction with Cotton allows her Anna to shine all the more brightly. It's a perfect example of having all the elements that go into the making of a film working together to produce a true classic in every sense of the word. The supporting cast includes Paul Horbiger (Porter), Ernst Deutsch (Kurtz), Erich Ponto (Dr. Winkel), Siegfried Breuer (Popescu), Hedwig Bleibtreu (Old Woman), Bernard Lee (Sergeant Paine) and Wilfrid Hyde-White (Crabbin). Intelligently conceived and written, and imaginatively and creatively delivered, "The Third Man" is a masterpiece that works on every conceivable level. The purity of the film is inspiring; the integrity of the story is never compromised in any way by the sensationalism or cheap gimmicks that seem to plague even the best of today's offerings-- the fact of which many contemporary filmmakers would be well advised to take notice. In the final analysis, this is simply a truly exceptional film; one that belongs in the library of every serious collector.
Rating:
Summary: Undeniably classic
Review: I know this is probably heresy, but I think Carol Reed's "The Third Man" is a better movie than Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." It's easily the best movie Welles acted in, I think. Graham Greene's screenplay deserves a lot of the credit.
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