Based on an original screeplay by Graham Greene, this Carol Reed classic epitomizes the aesthetics of film noir. Amid the lurid decadence of a shellshocked, postwar Vienna, a lonely American (Cotton) searches for his maligned friend, a mysterious "third man" in a city of rampant deceit and corruption. The film’s famous haunting score, shadowy cinematography, and top-notch performances (notably Welles as the utterly immoral Harry Lime) make this one of the most memorable tales of intrigue in film history. Robert Krasker won an Academy Award for his cinematography.