The Third Man

1949 · drama · mystery · thriller · Carol Reed · Carol Reed's Production · London Film Productions

The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. The story follows Holly Martins, an American writer who travels to post-World War II Vienna to visit his friend Harry Lime, only to find out that Lime has died in a suspicious accident. As Martins investigates the circumstances of Lime's death, he uncovers a web of deceit involving a mysterious "third man" and Lime's involvement in a black market penicillin operation, leading to moral dilemmas and a shocking revelation about Lime's true fate.