Robert Ryan

Audrey Totter

George Tobias

Alan Baxter

Wallace Ford

Percy Helton

Hal Baylor

Darryl Hickman

Kevin O'Morrison

James Edwards

David Clarke

Phillip Pine

Edwin Max

Herbert Anderson

Larry Anzalone

Arthur Berkeley

Burman Bodel

John Butler

Noble 'Kid' Chissell

Bud Cokes

Heinie Conklin

Gene Delmont

Abe Dinovitch

Paul Dubov

Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig

Dan Foster

David Fresco

Joseph Glick

Bernard Gorcey

Vincent Graeff

William E. Green

Bobby Henshaw

John Indrisano

Michael Jeffers

Dick Johnstone

Donald Kerr

Jess Kirkpatrick

Joseph La Cava

Mike Lally

Richard LaMarr

Archie Leonard

Dwight Martin

William McCarter

Mathew McCue

Lynn Millan

Frank Mills

Ben Moselle

Tommy Noonan

Anton Northpole

William J. O'Brien

Brian O'Hara

Jack Perry

Jack Raymond

Frank Richards

Walter Ridge

Tony Roux

Sammy Shack

Carl Sklover

Emmett Smith

Billy Snyder

Ray Spiker

Harold J. Stone

Jack Stoney

Brick Sullivan

Harry Tenbrook

Charles Wagenheim

Constance Worth

Phil Bloom

Robert Wise

Milton Krasner

Art Cohn

Joseph Moncure March

Richard Goldstone

Roland Gross

Dore Schary

Gordon Bau

Albert S. D'Agostino

Jack Okey

James Altwies

Darrell Silvera

Edward Killy

Joel Freeman

Phil Brigandi

Clem Portman

Eddie Pyle

Ernest Bachrach

Gaston Longet

Jim Curley

Drama

Crime

The Set-Up

RKO Radio Pictures

United States of America

Don't you see Bill? You are always just one punch away.  

The Set-Up is directed by Robert Wise and stars Robert Ryan & Audrey Totter. The screenplay was adapted by Art Cohn from a 1928 poem written by Joseph Moncure March. The story (played out in real time) sees Ryan as Stoker Thompson, a 35 year old nearly washed up boxer still trundling around the circuit believing he's still got what it takes to become a champ. In spite of pleas from his fretful wife, Julie (Totter), Stoker gets in the ring with Tiger Nelson (Hal Baylor), a man 12 years younger. Unbeknownst to Stoker, though, his manager Tiny (George Tobias) has struck a deal with underworld gangster Little Boy (Alan Baxter on prime sweaty and icy form) for him to take a dive and let Nelson win.

What first struck me the most watching this was just how vile everyone apart from the boxers are. The fighters are actually the only ones with honesty and integrity running through their veins. These guys are the ones with the self respect being a chief issue for them, they are fighting not just for glory, but for a basic human trait. The first half of the film puts us in the boxers changing room as the fighters wait to go out into the ring. Here we see the number of noble pugilists stripped back to reveal either their fears or their blind beliefs - while they in turn wait to see who comes back victorious or defeated. As they chat amongst themselves the atmosphere is palpable and Wise excellently uses cutaways to the excitable and blood thirsty crowd. The impact is to that of a gladiatorial arena and shows the sport to be seedy yet utterly beguiling at the same time.

Then it's on to Stoker's fight where Ryan is terrific (he actually boxed for College for 4 years). Thompson is a character so stand up, yet driven by foolish pride, it puts Stallone's Rocky Balboa firmly in the shade, his whole "just one punch away" mantra is truly wonderful and heartfelt and leads to one of those endings that are frustratingly brilliant in its bittersweet closure. The whole fight with Nelson has a beautiful fluidity about it (former pro boxer John Indrisano choreographed it), with Milton R. Krasner's photography keeping it grim and humanistic - both in the ring and out on the darkly lit L.A. streets as Totter's conflicted wife ponders a potential battering for her stoic husband.

Boosted up by a towering performance from Ryan, and dripping with a film noir sense of desolation, The Set-Up is a simple but powerful boxing gem. A film that gets down to the nitty-gritty of the fighters and the seedy people that surround them. 9/10

Solid little noir with a great sense of place—sweaty gyms, grimy streets, and a ticking clock that adds real tension. The boxing scenes pack a punch and the mood’s properly bleak. It’s not top-tier stuff, but at just over an hour, it doesn’t waste your time. Worth a watch.

English

Clip HD | The Set-Up | Warner Archive

Open HD | The Set-Up | Warner Archive

Classic scene from The Set-Up (1949)