97. The Third Man (1949)

Perhaps the ultimate example of film noir - a lost genre that gave rise to a number of cinema's greatest classics - The Third Man is absolutely vintage. At its core is Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), a man who, like all great protagonists, is suave, cynical, damaged and complex. As the narrative twists and turns, Martins encounters a number of film noir staples - the femme fatale, the hard-boiled cop, sleazy jazz club patrons. And at the centre of the labyrinth is the enigmatic Harry Lime - portrayed by the similarly enigmatic Orson Welles.

Backing up a bit, the narrative sees Martins, a weary American pulp-fiction novelist, arriving in allied-occupied Vienna to meet his childhood friend, Lime. Upon arriving, he finds that Lime has recently been killed in a road accident, though the details surrounding the circumstances of the "accident" grow murky as witnesses and companions of Lime's offer conflicting statements. One of the film's least suspicious-looking bods - a homely caretaker - advises Martins that an eponymous Third Man was present at the scene of the accident, while other witnesses contest that only two men were there. The helpful caretaker is, naturally, swiftly despatched. Meanwhile, the police don't take kindly to Martins' interest in the case, proving problematic for Martins, but no more so than the introduction of Lime's actress girlfriend, with whom he becomes quickly infatuated. As the mystery unravels and the fate, and background of Lime - a man whom Martins believed he knew and loved - becomes clear, the key players are plunged deeper and deeper into a dark world of deceit, murder and cruelty.

The crooked angles, stark black and white imagery and claustrophobic set-pieces (all winding staircases, maze-like sewers, twisting alleyways, flitting shadows and clacking footsteps) create a classic dreamlike quality and adequately heighten the atmosphere of unease and paranoia. The film's score - a strangely jaunty series of melodies performed solely on a zither (a little like a lute) - serves as a dramatic juxtaposition against the tightly-wound characters and onscreen tension. Said score has gone down in movie history as one of the best, and made its composer an international star - but for me it proved a little distracting in its quirkiness.

All in all, it would be impossible to argue against The Third Man being a cinematic classic. Every frame of the film carries a depth and intrigue, the performances are stellar, there's some mighty fine verbal sparring and the twists and turns in the narrative proclaim onscreen storytelling at its most challenging, perplexing and entertaining. Well worthy of its position on the list.