The Man Between

Carol Reed follows Odd Man Out and The Third Man with this thriller starring James Mason and Claire Bloom set in post-war Berlin.

Carol Reed, fresh off the success of Odd Man Out (1947) and The Third Man (1949), directs this crime thriller with James Mason and Claire Bloom in the lead roles. In post-war Berlin, Ivo Kern (Mason) is a man with a criminal past who participates in the accidental kidnapping of British citizen Susanne Mallison (Bloom) before seeking possible redemption. As per usual with Reed’s films, nothing is what it seems in this twisty drama with suspenseful sequences, dynamic editing, and two strong performances at its core.

Perhaps overshadowed in Carol Reed’s filmography by the likes of The Third Man, The Man Between has begun to receive more admiration in recent years as one of the director’s most suspenseful and unpredictable thrillers. The chemistry between Bloom and Mason is particularly revelatory, as Bloom’s Susanne comes into her own the more she finds out about the mysterious Kern.