Hitchcock-like style of ‘Third Man’ subtly brilliant

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THE THIRD MAN, directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, 104 minutes, not rated. Tonight only, free, Pickering Square, Bangor. Lawn chairs are advised.

The fourth film in the River City Cinema Society’s Noir Beneath the Stars series is Carol Reed’s 1949 classic, “The Third Man,” a British noir film based on Graham Greene’s script that stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a naive American trying to track down an old college friend named Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in post World War II Vienna.

Good luck to Holly.

When he arrives in Vienna, he soon learns that Harry has been murdered, leaving in his wake a gorgeous, loyal girlfriend named Anna (Alida Valli), who may or may not know more about Harry’s death than anyone – not that Anna is talking.

Still, persistent Holly, a writer of cheap Westerns that sell well in the States, has a nose for things that don’t smell right, particularly when something stinks as badly as the “facts” surrounding Harry’s death. Plaguing it are a wealth of inconsistencies and doubletalk, with Holly quickly coming to the conclusion that all isn’t what it seems.

In spite of his detractors – not the least of which is Trevor Howard’s tenacious Maj. Calloway – good-natured, hard-drinking Holly eventually learns what few want him to know. It turns out that Harry was a war criminal and a drug dealer who dealt in diluted penicillin, thus proving directly responsible for harming and killing thousands. He might still be alive, having staged his own death.

But what will become of Harry should Holly find him? And what will become of Holly should Harry be cornered?

Showing for free tonight in Bangor’s Pickering Square, the film is a break from the three previous movies in the series – “The Big Sleep,” “The Thin Man” and “Mildred Pierce” – in that it isn’t an eager crowd-pleaser. It’s distinctly British, mischievous, restrained and offbeat, with a wonderfully bizarre zither score by Anton Karas and cinematography by Robert Krasker that defines the genre – it smacks of German expressionism.

Infused with Hitchcockean undertones, the film wants to keep you at arm’s length, and it succeeds. It’s meant to be isolating, with long stretches spoken in German without subtitles. That choice will be irritating to some, but it’s actually rather brilliant. It allows you to feel Holly’s isolation as he roots around the rubbles of Vienna for Harry, snubbed by a country that’s not his own.

The film builds to a terrific ending, with the sewers of Vienna giving themselves over to a wildly paranoiac chase scene, the likes of which occasionally feel as if shadows are chasing shadows. Also strong are the performances, from the smaller, colorful bit roles played by character actors straight down to Cotten, Valli and Welles. Apart, these three are a force. But when they collide – and they do collide here – they turn “The Third Man” into a singular achievement.

Grade: A

In theaters

THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, directed by Paul Greengrass, written by Tony Gilroy, based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, 109 minutes, rated PG-13.

Paul Greengrass’ espionage thriller, “The Bourne Supremacy,” is an old-school throwback jammed with jittery camerawork that’s as restless as the plot.

In it, the world is seemingly reduced to the size of a postage stamp, allowing the gun-toting characters to dart with ease around the globe. They trot among India, Russia, New York and Germany as if they were going down the street to the supermarket. It’s as if 9-11 never happened.

A sequel to 2002’s “The Bourne Identity,” the film is a decadent travelogue laced with murder, car chases, foot chases and betrayal. It has style – too much style, really – but its story is nicely constructed, it has a great cast and, if you can get beyond the annoyingly unsteady camerawork, it’s fun.

The film begins where “Identity” left off – on the lush beaches of Goa, India, where Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, a former CIA assassin, is still struggling with amnesia.

Aided by his girlfriend, Marie (Franka Potente), Bourne is working to piece together the remnants of his shattered life when a new intrigue begins. After being tracked down by a Russian assassin (Karl Urban), Bourne learns that he’s still wanted dead and, later, that he has been framed for killing two American CIA agents. Now wanted by CIA powerhouse Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), who mounts a massive campaign to bring Bourne in, Bourne is on the run, driven by killer instincts he doesn’t fully understand but which are nevertheless assembling themselves in his fractured memory.

Loosely based on Robert Ludlum’s potboiling best seller, the film wisely pulls in the reins on the author’s iron-horse prose without sacrificing the heady mood. As Bourne, Damon gives a confident, brooding performance that’s never showy. He’s just right here, consistently believable, all inward confliction assailed by an outside world trying to undo him. Brian Cox is nicely greasy as CIA agent Ward Abbott, but it’s Allen’s sharp, quick-thinking performance as the conflicted Landy that gives “The Bourne Supremacy” the sense of urgency it needs to compete in this ripe summer of blockbuster sequels.

Grade: B

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, 5:30 p.m. Thursdays on WLBZ 2 Bangor and WCSH 6 Portland, and are archived at RottenTomatoes.com. He may be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores. Those in bold print are new to video stores this week.

Against the Ropes ? D

Agent Cody Banks 2 ? D

Bad Santa ? B+

The Barbarian Invasions ? A

Barbershop 2: Back in Business ? B+

The Big Sleep (1944) ? A

The Butterfly Effect ? F

Cold Mountain ? B

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights ? D

Dirty Pretty Things ? A-

50 First Dates ? C+

Fog of War ? A

Hellboy ? B

House of Sand and Fog ? B+

The Human Stain ? D

In America ? A-

The Last Samurai ? C

Lost in Translation ? A

The Magdalene Sisters ? A-

Mildred Pierce ? A

Miracle ? B+

Monsieur Ibrahim ? B+

Monster ? A

Osama ? A-

Peter Pan ? B+

Secret Window ? C

Something’s Gotta Give ? A-

Starsky & Hutch ? D

The Station Agent ? B+

Swimming Pool ? B+

Sylvia ? B-

The Thin Man ? A

The Triplets of Belleville ? A

Torque ? D

21 Grams ? A

The Whole Ten Yards ? F