(Carol Reed, UK 1947, 116 min., 35mm)
Recently escaped from prison and in hiding for six months, IRA soldier Johnny McQueen (James Mason) is instructed to rob the payroll of a mill with his team. While the robbery is successful, Johnny is shot during the getaway and is forced on the run, hiding where he can, never knowing who to trust. In love with Johnny, Kathleen (Kathleen Sullivan) spends the night looking for him, but Johnny must remain on the move, interacting with people who either want something from him or for him. Utilizing elements of German expressionism, French poetic realism, and American film noir, director Carol Reed transforms the political conflict in Northern Ireland into a moody, existential allegory that rivals his masterwork, The Third Man, released two years later.