After years of making the repertory rounds in splicy, sometimes shrunken or damaged prints, The Third Man was re-released to acclaim in 1999 in a digitally remastered print. This version is razor sharp, virtually flawless, preserving the film's extraordinary clarity and textured darkness. The story is a familiar one for fans of Graham Greene and Reed. As in all such contested realms, morality is lax, and illegal trafficking of all kinds pervades the city, from smuggled shoes and tires to watered-down penicillin that kills or mentally maims its victims. But Martins, too curious for his own good, hears contradictory stories about the circumstances of Lime's death.
Witnesses disappear or are murdered.
Martins himself is chased by unknown assailants through the glamorously dark streets of Vienna. The film methodically constructs a curious picture of the missing Lime through the comments of those who knew him. Martins remembers him as a charismatic friend. Anna's unquestioning adoration paints a picture of Lime as a romantic. In a brilliant sequence that Reed allegedly improvised late in production, the dead man reappears.