The Set-Up 1949
7.8 / 10
The Set-Up
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Videos & Photos
All 0 Videos & 28 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Stoker
... Julie
... Tiny
... Little Boy
... Gus
... Red
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by John Chard
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
Release Date:
Mar 29, 1949 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 13`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Set-Up
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
Cast & Crew of
The Set-Up
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Stoker
... Julie
... Tiny
... Little Boy
... Gus
... Red
... Tiger Nelson
... Shanley
... Moore
... Luther Hawkins
... Gunboat Johnson
... Souza
... Danny
... Husband (uncredited)
... Mexican Fighter (uncredited)
... Cafe Patron (uncredited)
BB
Burman Bodel... Man (uncredited)
JB
John Butler... Blind Man's Buddy (uncredited)
... Handler (uncredited)
BC
Bud Cokes... Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Produced By
... Producer
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
The Set-Up
Photos ( 28 )
Related Movies To
The Set-Up
Gladiator II (2024)
0 /10
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Run Time: 2hr 28` . MMPA: R / PG-13 . Release: 05 Nov 2024
Director: Kieron Walshe , Callum Dawson , Krishan Sharda
Producer: Malcolm Ellul , Kate Rhodes James , Hamid Ait Timaghrit
Stars: Paul Mescal , Fred Hechinger , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Pedro Pascal
Wicked (2024)
0 /10
In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two's unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Run Time: 2hr 42` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Nov 2024
Director: Lisa Vick , Jon M. Chu
Producer: Abigail Perry , Stephen Schwartz , Tiffany Little Canfield
Stars: Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Jonathan Bailey , Jeff Goldblum , Michelle Yeoh , Ethan Slater
Dirty Angels (2024)
0 /10
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Run Time: 1hr 44` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Margarita Aneva , Jamie Marshall , Teodora Petrova
Producer: Lati Grobman , Jonathan Yunger , Lonnie Ramati
Stars: Eva Green , Ruby Rose , Maria Bakalova , Christopher Backus , Reza Brojerdi , Jojo T. Gibbs
Nosferatu (2024)
0 /10
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 25 Dec 2024
Director: Max Horn , Matus Kukuca , Josh Robertson
Producer: Pavel Mrkous , Jeff Robinov , Dan Kuska
Stars: Bill Skarsgård , Lily-Rose Depp , Nicholas Hoult , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Emma Corrin , Willem Dafoe
Memoir of a Snail (2024)
0 /10
Forcibly separated from her twin brother when they are orphaned, a melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of misfortunes and everyday life.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: R . Release: 17 Oct 2024
Director: Adam Elliot
Producer: Tu Nhi Lam , Carole Baraton , Tony King
Stars: Sarah Snook , Eric Bana , Jacki Weaver , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Dominique Pinon , Magda Szubanski
Absolution (2024)
0 /10
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: R . Release: 31 Oct 2024
Director: Frankie Ferrari , Colin Flaherty , Frankie Ferrari
Producer: Anne Mulhall , Juan Sebastian Rossetti Pardo , Alex Peace
Stars: Liam Neeson , Ron Perlman , Daniel Diemer , Yolonda Ross , Frankie Shaw , Omar Moustafa Ghonim
The Thicket (2024)
0 /10
An innocent young man, Jack, goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones, a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Sep 2024
Director: Phil Chipera , Casey Chipera , Elliott Lester
Producer: Lauren Case , John Kerr , Gianni Nunnari
Stars: Peter Dinklage , Juliette Lewis , Esme Creed-Miles , Levon Thurman-Hawke , Leslie Grace , Gbenga Akinnagbe
Interstellar (2014)
8.7 /10
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
Run Time: 2hr 49` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 05 Nov 2014
Director: Megan Shank , Nilo Otero , Gary Hawes
Producer: Mark Scoon , Karla Torres , Justin Harrold
Stars: Matthew McConaughey , Anne Hathaway , Jessica Chastain , Bill Irwin , Ellen Burstyn , Michael Caine
Fast X (2023)
5.8 /10
Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who's fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.
Run Time: 2hr 22` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 17 May 2023
Director: Vincent Lascoumes , Olivier Schneider , Louis Leterrier
Producer: Matt Risebrow , Jeff Kirschenbaum , Kirsty Kinnear
Stars: Vin Diesel , Michelle Rodriguez , Tyrese Gibson , Ludacris , John Cena , Nathalie Emmanuel
Wicked Minds (2003)
5.3 /10
Holden returns home from college and is surprised to find his overpowering competitive father married to a much younger woman Lana. Holden quickly falls for the beauty and charisma of his step mother. A passionate affair begins between son and stepmother.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 01 Mar 2003
Director: Jason Hreno
Producer: Serge Denis , Anne Carlucci , Jean Bureau
Stars: Angie Everhart , Andrew W. Walker , Winston Rekert , Amy Sloan , Frank Schorpion , Ellen David
Anora (2024)
0 /10
A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.
Run Time: 2hr 19` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 Oct 2024
Director: Stephen Coleman , Albert Rudnitsky , Sofía Blanco
Producer: Patricia Beaury , Ken Meyer , Adriana Alpizar
Stars: Ivy Wolk , Mikey Madison , Mark Eydelstein , Yuriy Borisov , Karren Karagulian , Vache Tovmasyan
The Moor (2024)
0 /10
Claire is approached by the father of her murdered childhood friend to help investigate the haunted moor he believes is his son's final resting place.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: . Release: 14 Jun 2024
Director: Kaitlin Michaels , Kyle Brearey , Lisa Collins
Producer: Georgia Padfield , Benjamin Newsome , Jordan Fleming
Stars: Sophia La Porta , David Edward-Robertson , Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips , Mark Peachey , Vicki Hackett , Bernard Hill