The Third Man (1949)

This week as we continue on in our Letterboxd Lists journey, I decided it’s about time that we take a look at the Letterboxd Top 250 list. In doing so, I am able to correct a massive blind spot of mine with…The Third Man (1949).

Title: The Third Man

Director: Carol Reed

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

Released: September 1, 1949

Available to stream on: Criterion Channel and Tubi

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an American novelist who has traveled to Vienna to meet with an old friend by the name of Harry Lime (Orson Welles) who says he has work for Holly. However, when Holly arrives in Vienna, he is informed of the untimely death of his friend. It turns out that Harry was hit by a car while crossing the street right outside of his residence.

As Holly begins to ask around about his friend’s death, he begins to realize that something isn’t adding up. One version has Harry dying on impact with the car that hit him. But, if you’re to ask Baron Kurtz (Ernst Deutsch), he and a friend carried Harry Lime across the street. Once they were on the opposite side of the street, Harry’s last words to the Baron were to make sure he cares for his girlfriend, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), as well as for Holly.

Determined to find out what happened to his friend, Holly continues to dig deeper into Harry’s death. Unfortunately, the more he digs, he has more questions than answers. Not only is there a debate about the exact time of death, but now there are differing accounts on how many people helped move Harry Lime across the street.

Was it the Baron and his friend?

Or was there a third man?

It is always a 50/50 gamble when you choose to correct a blind spot. Will you wind up understanding what all the hype is about? Or will you walk away underwhelmed?

I am happy to say that for me, The Third Man (1949) most definitely lived up to the hype.

Yes, the plot is, on the surface, rather straight forward. However, for the entire length of the film, we’re left trying to figure out what just happened and how it connects to the big picture. As the mystery unravels, we’re met with one twist and reveal after another. The Third Man (1949) is a masterclass in what a mystery movie should be.

In addition to the writing, The Third Man (1949) is a technical marvel as well. Whether it’s the tilted angle of the camera, the use of wide-angle lenses, or the lighting and excellent use of shadows, it all furthers the mystery aspect while also giving us an absolute visual feast.

There is so much to this movie but going too in-depth would result in spoilers galore. So, if you happen to still have The Third Man (1949) on your watchlist, I’m going to kindly ask that you remedy that as soon as possible.

Now, on the flip side, if you’ve seen The Third Man (1949), I want to hear your thoughts on it.

You can leave me a comment below or reach out on social media!

As always, follow me over on Letterboxd to see everything else I’ve been watching.