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The Third Man

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After arriving in post-World War II Vienna, unemployed pulp novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) learns that his friend Harry (Orson Welles) has died in an accident. Compelled to investigate the death, Holly slowly uncovers startling revelations about Harry's life. Based on a novel by Graham Greene, this classic film noir thriller earned an Academy Award nomination for director Carol Reed and won an Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Netflix Rating: 3.9
Rotten Tomatoes: Fresh 100%: Consensus: This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.
Fresh: 56 Rotten: 0 Rotten Tomatoes page
Top Rotten Tomatoes Critics: It transformed the way I looked at the world. full review

David Ansen, Newsweek

Welles gives Harry a mask of irony that turns all moral judgment back on itself. He turns a mass murderer into a wry rogue, and makes his villainy all the more horrifying because we rather like him. full review

Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

Seen today, The Third Man ... can be appreciated as a prophetic statement on the eventual moral bankruptcy of the one-world euphoria that clouded men's minds immediately after the second 'war to end all wars.'

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Top credit must go to Mr. Reed for molding all possible elements into a thriller of superconsequence. full review

Bosley Crowther, New York Times

For lovers of film noir, The Third Man is unquestionably a must-see -- one of the masterpieces of a genre that has contained everything from milestone motion pictures to low-budget potboilers. full review

James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The Third Man is like the exhausted aftermath of Casablanca. full review

Susan Stark, Detroit News

a full-blooded, absorbing story full review

Variety Staff, Variety

One of the glories of postwar cinema, and quite possibly one of the most sheerly enjoyable movies ever made.

Robert Horton, Film.com

A triumph of atmosphere and grown-up concerns. full review

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

It seemed like the creation of a sensibility terribly old and wise, and most of all very European; it was the very essence of world-weary sophistication. full review

Laura Miller, Salon.com

However hoked-up and self-regarding, The Third Man ... remains an indelible experience. full review

J. Hoberman, Village Voice

The complete effect of The Third Man is of superficial mysteries wrapped around deeper mysteries of the human heart, all immersed in a desperate universe suspended by the silent witnessing of a thousand eyes.

Tom Keogh, Film.com

Wonderful entertainment. full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Of all the movies I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies. full review

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times