The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and written by Graham Greene. It stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in post-war Vienna, the film focuses on Holly Martins, an American who is given a job by his friend Harry Lime, but when he arrives the man is dead. He then meets with Lime's acquantences in attempt to investigate his suspicious death.