In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.

Joseph Cotten
Holly Martins

Alida Valli
Anna Schmidt

Trevor Howard
Major Calloway

Orson Welles
Harry Lime

Paul Hörbiger
Karl the Porter

Ernst Deutsch
'Baron' Kurtz

Erich Ponto
Dr. Winkel

Siegfried Breuer
Popescu
2,006 ratings. The score is reasonably stable but could shift up to 0.06 as more ratings come in.
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Release Date
August 31, 1949
Runtime
1h 45m
Rating
NR
Genres
Mystery, Thriller
Director