Michael Caine Names His All-Time Favorite Thriller

Michael Caine once declared a 76-year-old classic as the best thriller ever made, urging everyone to watch it.

The film is The Third Man, a tense and gripping story set in post-World War II Vienna that has become a benchmark for film noir. Its black-and-white cinematography, dramatic Dutch angles, and real bombed-out locations in Vienna give the movie a look and feel that is hard to match.

“Like all great movies, this has a fantastic sense of time and place,” Caine wrote in his memoir The Elephant to Hollywood. “Post-war Vienna is an extraordinary setting for what I consider to be the best thriller ever.”

Caine praised the film’s atmosphere, calling the “unforgettable sense of menace” created by director Carol Reed and screenwriter Graham Greene its strongest quality.

The story follows American writer Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten, who arrives in Vienna to meet his friend Harry Lime, only to discover he has supposedly died. As Martins digs into Lime’s death, he becomes entangled in a web of mystery and deception. Caine also admired Orson Welles’ performance, particularly his famous “cuckoo clock” speech, which Welles wrote himself after being dissatisfied with the original script.

Released in 1949, The Third Man was directed by Carol Reed and written by Greene, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Its German expressionist-inspired cinematography, designed by Robert Krasker, emphasizes shadows, sharp angles, and dramatic lighting. These visuals, combined with Vienna’s ruined streets, reflect the uncertainty and tension of the early Cold War.

The movie’s score, composed by Anton Karas, became a hit internationally with “The Third Man Theme,” bringing fame to the previously unknown musician. Over the years, The Third Man has been celebrated for its acting, music, and atmospheric style. In 1999, the British Film Institute voted it the greatest British film of all time, and a 2011 Time Out poll ranked it as the second-best British film ever.

Caine’s recommendation highlights how this thriller continues to captivate audiences decades later. “If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favour,” he wrote.

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