The Third Man (1949) review

Orson Welles is one of the great directors from the Golden Age of cinema and whilst I did enjoy his masterpiece, 'Citizen Kane', I found it rather underwhelming and wasn't sure whether my decision to see 'The Third Man' would be a correct one. Would it be one that I would regret? Would it be one to be grateful of? Most definitely. Saying that I enjoyed 'The Third Man' is such an understatement. It doesn't do the movie any justice whatsoever.

In 'The Third Man', Joseph Cotton plays an author by the name of Holly Martins who was sent an invitation by his good friend, Harry Limes, to come and visit him but to Martins' misfortune, Limes had been killed in a car accident a short while earlier. And so, begins the story of Holly Martins' investigation as to how exactly Limes died when he begins to believe that maybe Limes' death was not caused by an accident but a murder of some sort. 



Much like 'Citizen Kane', 'The Third Man' is yet another Orson Welles masterpiece. Everywhere the film went, it continued to surprise me. Whether it be my inability to spot plot twists or whether it be the fact that I had no idea what the story would be about, I do not know. Joseph Cotten is absolutely fantastic in his role as Martins. He brings such a attention grabbing performance in this film that you really buy the pain that he goes through. His relationship with Limes' wife, Ms Schdmit, is also done well and feels realistic all due to the credit of Cotten's fantastic performance. Constantly, you can see the fright in his eyes and you really buy it. In fact, most of the intense sequences in this film work due to Cotten's facial expressions. His acting was masterful in this film. 

Spoilers ahead: This is my very first time watching this film and twenty years later, when I think of this film, there will be a scene that will stick in my mind. I am referring to the iconic sequence in the middle of night, following the scene with Martins and Limes' wife, where Martins begins to show his feelings towards Ms Scdmit by saying that it was her who wanted him to find a girl. In the scene, in the middle of the night, the intensity is felt. Every bit of the wind blowing is felt. The intensity is right in your face. Then it happens, first by a cat meow'ing followed by a shadowy figure, then you see it! This was the most shocking thing I'd seen in quite a while and it had been done in a way that I was completely blinded all the way through! You see it! You see the iconic figure of Orson Welles' Harry Limes from rather afar then the camera continues to zoom in! What made this all the while better was the fact that you were never shown the picture to Harry Limes earlier, when his wife was looking at the picture! The face was such an iconic thing!

 

That was such an iconic moment and it all worked. This could easily have turned into some stupid ghostly, mythical story from here on in but it wasn't. The fact that these characters had depth to them and heart to them was just fantastic. Even Harry Limes, after the truth about him is revealed, which was yet another absolute shock to me, there was still some good in him which you felt. Orson Welles also gives such an amazing performance, as he always can. 

The acting was unbelievable, no doubt! The black and white cinematography looked immaculate throughout the entire film but nothing looked better than the iconic introduction to Harry Limes as well as the scenes in the tunnel at the end of the film, where Limes tries to make yet another escape. This scene looked breathtaking and the entire sequence, which lasted close to ten minutes was intensifying. It was nailbiting stuff by the end of the film. The emotion displayed moments before the death of Limes was great. Yet another perfect moment in acting. 

The music is such a strength in this film. The composer of this film gave some truly intense musical scores, especially at the end. Again, the score isn't put into any bloody and gory sequences but into regularly intense scenes. There were plenty of moments where the score's intensity had me absolutely glued to my seat in a way that I rarely am. Whilst I am currently creating a list of my favorite 25 films of all time, it is such a pity to see that this film falls only a very few places short of it. 

'The Third Man' is a rather underrated Welles masterpiece. The performances, the story, the characters and the tone of the film are undeniably superb as are the black and white cinematography and the scenes and how perfectly they fit into the film. 'The Third Man' is one of the perfect films of the 1940s, right up there with Casablanca and Citizen Kane. 

Grade- 10/10
Absolutely perfect. An unbelievable film with great performances, amazing cinematography and fantastic storytelling. Includes the most iconic entrance to a character of all time!