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Third Man, The (1949) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Third Man, The (1949) a score of 3.6176 out of 4
based on (51) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Excellent
(38)
Very Good
3
Very Good
(11)
Good
2
Good
(1)
Fair
1
Fair
(1)
Poor
0
Poor
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Independent (Anthony Quinn)The Independent (Anthony Quinn)
Reed's evocation of Vienna is wonderfully abetted by the cinematographer Robert Krasker, whose skewed angles and chiaroscuro lighting lend the city a spooked, fairground desolation. And Anton Karas's famous zither score contrives to be at once jaunty ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Independent (Anthony Quinn)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Steve RhodesSteve Rhodes
So what kind of a man was Harry Lime? What were the circumstances surrounding his death? And who was the mysterious third man, rumored to have helped carry Harry's dead body to the curb after the truck ran him ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Steve Rhodes
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
"The Third Man" is one of the best films of the 1940s. It is an outstanding film, with a script so dense that its quality cannot be fully appreciated with a single viewing. The quirky score, featuring a zither, puts a light touch on what would ...read the complete Third Man movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for BBC FilmsBBC Films
Moviemaking becomes mythmaking in The Third Man, an iconic film noir that's still fresh despite being familiar. Joseph Cotten stars as Holly Martins, an American in Vienna searching the city's black market for the killer of his best friend Harry Lime ...read the complete Third Man movie review at BBC Films
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Orbital Reviews Orbital Reviews
After World War II, the Four-Powers (Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union) broke Vienna into four sections, each governed by one country, except for a commonly patrolled middle of the city. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a writer of ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Orbital Reviews
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for DVDBeaver DVDBeaver
I always frowned when being "told" something was great... rather than finding it out for myself. So my stratospheric expectations of this overly acclaimed film, could not be in the vicinity of being attained. In fact even after a recent viewing, I ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVDBeaver
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)
The problem with reviewing The Third Man is that it's easy to assume that everyone has already seen this classic movie at least once. It's too easy, in general discussion, to give away the pivotal plot point which gives this movie its special resonance. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for homevideo.about.com (Ivana Redwine)homevideo.about.com (Ivana Redwine)
I've lost track of how many times I've seen The Third Man (1949) over the years, but I doubt that I'll ever tire of this unusual film noir. The Third Man is one of my favorite movies, and I think it's one of the greatest films ever made. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at homevideo.about.com (Ivana Redwine)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Vienna, after World War II. The city is in bad shape. It has been divided into Russian, British, American and French zones, each with different authorities. Holly Martins arrive in this messy place to meet one of his dearest friends that he haven't seen ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Jiminy Critic (Jon Kern)Jiminy Critic (Jon Kern)
The Third Man is one of the exquisite pleasures of the cinema. From the opening credits, where the strings of a zither are manipulated by unseen hands, to the bleak, autumnal setting of the closing frame, the audience is treated to characters formed from ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Jiminy Critic (Jon Kern)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Digital BitsThe Digital Bits
I first saw The Third Man about 5 years ago, back when I had a new thing for the work of Orson Welles. I was scraping up everything I could find on him and his work, after I read his treatment for Heart of Darkness. It was utterly brilliant, and it ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Digital Bits
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Many believe that The Third Man (1949) is one of Orson Welles' masterworks, and that he directed it. In fact Welles had little to do with it, but that so many think so is a compliment to the film's style and timelessness. Like Anthony Hopkins in The ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Cheng-Jih ChenCheng-Jih Chen
It's unclear what I can possibly add to what's already been said -- and said better -- about this film. While "The Third Man" doesn't have the single line "one and only" review from Pauline Kael attached to it, it certainly is up there among the ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Cheng-Jih Chen
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Reel.comReel.com
Film noirs, those shadowy, fatalistic thrillers that blossomed during World War II and the post-war gloom of anti-Communist hysteria and the new atomic threat, were an all-American invention. Enduring classics like Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Out of ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Reel.com
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)
Watching it again, the theology of the piece is what emerged for me: the strange and sinful presumption of Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in faking his own death, the succession of betrayals in the lives of his friend Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) and ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
This film is the story of Harley Martins (Joseph Cotton) who goes to Vienna to work with his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When he arrives, Martins finds out that Lime has died. He begins to investigate what happened and soon finds that things are ...read the complete Third Man movie review at MovieFreak.com (Rachel Sexton)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Carol Reed's ("Odd Man Out"/"The Fallen Idol") The Third Man is a monumental arty thriller of British noir that chronicles the dark mood of the dispirited Vienna postwar period in a way that rings true with a Casablanca sense of history. It also ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Movie-Vault.com (Timotei Centea)Movie-Vault.com (Timotei Centea)
The real star in The Third Man isn't Joseph Cotten, nor any of the other characters or actors. It isn't even the story. It's the setting. Filmed entirely on location in post-war Vienna, the film uses this grim, torn, almost surreal place and time to a ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Timotei Centea)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Dragan AntulovDragan Antulov
New "Oscars" were handed over two nights ago. The reaction that is almost certain is the multitude of furious rants by film lovers who can't forgive the Academy for favouring SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, "crowd-pleasing" romantic comedy over "true art" in ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Dragan Antulov
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie GuideTV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
...read the complete Third Man movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk SpoilersCriminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
It took me a long time to be able to watch and appreciate older movies. As a kid, I just liked goofball comedies like "The Jerk" and "Three Amigos," graduating to dumb action movies once I saw "Die Hard" and wondered 'are all action movies like ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Lars LindahlLars Lindahl
"The Third Man" tells the story of a writer, Holly Martins, searching for the true details regarding the mysterious death of a close friend Harry Lime. This brief outline of the plot makes "The Third Man" sound like the majority of films in the noir ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Lars Lindahl
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
It's one of the great movie questions, up there with What was in the trunk in Repo Man? and Where did the pocketwatch come from in Somewhere in Time? Who was the third ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (J. Hoberman)Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
However hoked-up and self-regarding, The Third Man, rereleased this week in a fully restored version on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, remains an indelible experience. Carol Reed's arty thriller, written by Graham Greene, is set in the broken ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
n 1998, The Third Man was named to the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time, even though its Americanism is not much more than its dialogue being spoken in the English language. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Houston Chronicle
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Classic Film GuideClassic Film Guide
Acclaimed thriller set in post World War II multi-jurisdictional Vienna starring Joseph Cotton as a writer who must find his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Wells), who's involved in the thriving Black Market there. This Grahame Greene/Alexander Korda ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Classic Film Guide
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti
The Third Man is a wonderful example of the good that can come from talented people working together in real collaboration. Director Carol Reed, writer Graham Greene, and the cast (especially Orson Welles, in one of the crucial supporting performances ...read the complete Third Man movie review at culturevulture.net, Choices for the Cognoscenti
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Time OutTime Out
A considerably more harmonious collaborative effort than Allied powersharing, The Third Man remains among the most consummate of British thrillers. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Time Out
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for iF MagazineiF Magazine
The impression that THE THIRD MAN is an Orson Welles film (this despite the fact that his name exists nowhere on the credits other than as the film's lead actor. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at iF Magazine
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for James SanfordJames Sanford
Post-WWII America was a place of prosperity and hope. But in Europe, the conditions were quite different, and few films have captured the grim atmosphere of the late 1940s as memorably as "The Third Man," director Carol Reed's 1949 classic. Shot on ...read the complete Third Man movie review at James Sanford
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.75 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Has there ever been a film where the music more perfectly suited the action than in Carol Reed's ``The Third Man''? The score was performed on a zither by Anton Karas, who was playing in a Vienna beerhouse one night when Reed heard him. The sound is ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Images (Gary Morris)Images (Gary Morris)
In a brilliant sequence that Reed allegedly improvised late in the film, the dead man reappears. In Anna's apartment, Martins tries to play with a cat, but Anna says the cat only liked Harry Lime. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Images (Gary Morris)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)
The black and white, pessimistic film is one of the greatest British thrillers of the post-war era, in the best Alfred Hitchcock tradition, and beautifully produced and directed by Britisher Carol Reed. It was voted the #1 British Film of the 20th ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Greatest Films (Tim Dirks)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for DVD Review e-zineDVD Review e-zine
Located entirely in Austria's capital Vienna, the film very effectively used the ruined heart of the city as the backdrop for this fascinating thriller. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD Review e-zine
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Sunday Online, Australia (Peter Thompson)Sunday Online, Australia (Peter Thompson)
Does the name Robert Krasker mean anything to you? He was the Australian who won an Academy Award for photographing the legendary movie The Third Man in 1948. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Sunday Online, Australia (Peter Thompson)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Plume NoirePlume Noire
Rightly considered a classic of the seventh art, The Third Man is a visual masterpiece that profits from a flamboyant cast, an intriguing story both emotionally and historically as well as a haunting musical score. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Plume Noire
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Holly Martins' (Joseph Cotten) best friend got himself jun over and buried... so what's all the mystery about Harry Lime (Orson Welles)? Though he didn't make the film, Welles' thumbprint is all over The Third Man, which reteams Cotten and Welles ...read the complete Third Man movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for DVD Town (John J. Puccio)DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
The image of a towering Ferris wheel dominates a bombed-out, postwar Vienna. This circular reminder of happier times that were and would be again is a chilling yet reassuring symbol, one of many impressions that stick indelibly in the viewer's mind. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for DVD MovieGuideDVD MovieGuide
Given the title of the group behind it, the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movies focused on flicks considered to be US productions. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD MovieGuide
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
For all the impression he makes during his five minutes on screen, The Third Man is not Orson Welles' movie. Joseph Cotten is the star (he played opposite Welles in Citizen Kane as well) and the film moves to his laconic rhythm. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Philadelphia City Paper (Sam Adams)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)
There is no greater writer of the anti-hero than Graham Greene. He understands that truly great heroism is only possible if there is also the chance of truly great evil. He knows that the most fascinating battleground of good and evil is in the tragic ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Edinburgh U Film Society (Jonathan M. Caryl)Edinburgh U Film Society (Jonathan M. Caryl)
Sometimes movies manage to have everyone involved working at the peak of their abilities, and The Third Man is one of these times. From a story by Graham Greene and producer Alexander Korda, The Third Man is Carol Reed's finest film, and sees pulp ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Jonathan M. Caryl)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)
Once again Criterion has come through with a really special DVD. The Third Man has never been difficult to see, but decent copies of it were rare even for theatrical exhibition. I showed it to my family from AMC a couple of years ago, and the sound and ...read the complete Third Man movie review at DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)
"The Third Man's" greatness is as long and gray as the noir shadows the film casts. Could the director Carol Reed, who'd just come off the majestically disillusioning "Fallen Idol" or does the credit belong to the actor Orson Welles, the ...read the complete Third Man movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Ironically, the most successful and beloved movie Orson Welles was ever associated with--and the one that may have had the most significant effect on the remainder of his career--has not been one of his own. Admittedly, Citizen Kane has more prestige, ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
One of the most famous British motion pictures of all time, and voted favourite by the members of the BFI, Carol Reed's "The Third Man" is a must-see drama/thriller now out on the new Warner Bros DVD release. ...read the complete Third Man movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)
Pulp western writer Holly Martins (Cotten) arrives in Vienna with the promise of employment, courtesy of an old friend named Harry Lime (Welles). Shortly after arriving, Martins witnesses a burial ("A fellow called Lime."), and sets out to discover how ...read the complete Third Man movie review at The Spinning Image (Steve Langton)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Salon (Laura Miller)Salon (Laura Miller)
i first saw Carol Reed's "The Third Man" on late-night television, during one of the spates of classic film watching with which I whiled away my early teens. It struck me as startlingly real, defying both the dreamy, confected world of the rest of the ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Salon (Laura Miller)
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for LeisureSuit.netLeisureSuit.net
I avoided The Third Man for a long time because I thought it was just another mystery from the forties. I'd seen the classic Hitchcocks and Laura . . . what more do they want from me? Eventually I caught The Third Man on tape (which I then re-rented ...read the complete Third Man movie review at LeisureSuit.net
Third Man, The (1949) scores a combined 0.75 out of 4 stars for CinescapeCinescape
I don't know about you but if I paid for my buddy to come to Europe and because of some unforeseen circumstance had to fake my own death before I could meet him, I'd be pretty pissed off if he started hitting on my girlfriend before my fake grave had ...read the complete Third Man movie review at Cinescape
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Third Man, The (1949) Reviews
Third Man, The (1949)

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
3.7191
Third Man, The (1949) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
3.6176
Third Man, The (1949) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
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