Vineberg gives a close analysis of The Third Man, three themes discussed are: the social and moral disintegration of post-war Europe; the discrepancy of real world and the world as fiction orders it; and the nature of personal and social responsibility.

Film Noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics (first by Nino Frank in 1946) who noticed the trend of how 'dark', downbeat and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France to theatres following the war.

A genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax.