Carol Reed's direction of "The Third Man", coupled with Graham Greene's screenplay, continually thrust forward the notion that the betrayal of a friend is forgivable in the light of a greater good. However, what one considers the correct, moral course of action is totally dependant upon their preference of what is considered to be the pinnacle form of 'morality', that being the highest stranded of integrity a human can display. 'The Third Man' arguably considers the betrayal of a friend acceptable in light of the common good, and throughout the movie it is seen that the arguments for maintaining loyalty and friendship are slowly overridden by the notion of duty one feels in their pursuit of the 'right' course of action to take. Holly and Harry both display signs of betrayal to each over the course of the film; whether it is due to the sacrifice they feel they are required to make in order to achieve a higher stance of moral achievement, or rather in the latter's case, a lack of ethical consideration towards humanity in general - though it can clearly be seen in each case that loyalty can just as easily be discarded in the face of a more impertinent purpose.…
