Welcome to The Best Movies I’ve Never Seen! This is the part of the blog where I work my way through 100 films I’ve never seen that are generally considered to be great. You’re invited to watch along with me if you can find a copy or find it streaming. So grab some popcorn and let’s get started!

The Third Man

1949

Directed by Carol Reed

Quick synopsis… After arriving in post-World War II Vienna, unemployed pulp novelist Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry has died in an accident. Compelled to investigate the death, Holly slowly uncovers startling revelations about Harry’s life.

The British Film Institute has declared The Third Man the greatest British film ever made. I can see why.

Holly Martins is a writer who arrives in Vienna following the second World War. He’s there because his friend, Harry Lime, has offered him a job. But upon arriving, he finds that his friend has hit by a car and killed. He meets one of Harry’s friends, Kurtz, who claims that he and another friend, Popescu, are the ones who moved Harry’s body to the side of the street after he’d been struck.

Holly also meets Harry’s girlfriend, Anna, and neither of them believe that Harry’s death was an accident. This leads to Holly’s desire to investigate further, finding that there are a number of differing testimonies as to what actually went down the night Harry died.

Of course there are twists and all is not as it seems… but I won’t go into all that here. It’s funny, there was a time when I wouldn’t have given a second thought to watching a movie considered film noir. But every time I see something in this category, I kind of love it. So I definitely recommend checking this one out so you can see all the twists and turns in the plot for yourself.

Having now seen The Third Man, it ranks at 670 out of 2,271 movies on my personal Flickchart.

Have you seen The Third Man? If so, what did you think? Are you a fan of this style of filmmaking and storytelling? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!