Le troisième homme

Director Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN is a fascinating film-noir. It jumps off right away, when Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna. He doesn't even get a chance to put his valise down before he discovers that his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), has died. Of course, Holly could simply go back home, but thankfully, things get very interesting for him.

The mystery and suspense build together, as Holly smells a rat, and slowly discovers that nothing is as it appears to be, and -almost- no one is what they say they are. Trevor Howard adds to the dark fun as the intrepid Maj. Calloway, who is also hellbent to uncover what's really going on. Alida Valli plays one of her most memorable roles as Anna, Harry's smoldering girlfriend.

Mr. Reed takes us into a beautiful, shadowy black-and-white world of wet cobblestones and alleyways; crumbling structures and rubble; culminating in the sewers beneath the city. The nighttime foot-chases are exhilarating.

Screenwriter, Graham Greene is a true master of this sort of story, filling it with intrigue and tension.

One of the best thrillers ever made...