The Set-Up

source: The Set-Up

Evoking so accurately the seedy, down-at-heel world of the professional boxer, "The Set Up" is right1y regarded as probably the best boxing film ever made It was shot in black and white, as was the only other film on the sport to equal it, "Raging Bull" (1980), but the scene of Robert Ryan as the washed-up prize fighter refusing to take a fall and seen slugging it out with Hal Fieberling, nonetheless captures the merciless, stark, brutal quality of the film and its subject This was one of Ryan's best roles and no doubt the fact that he had held his college heavyweight boxing title for four years enabled him to bring an even greater sense of authenticity to the part… It also provided Robert Wise with his directorial breakthrough after a period of routine B pictures, and won the Critics' Prize at the 1950 Cannes Film Festival

Robert Ryan gives one of his best performances as Stoker, a washed up 35 year-old fighter, in this brutally realistic movie about the fight game that still packs a wallop even now more then fifty years after it's release. Stoker gets beaten in as well as outside the ring by going all out to defeat Tiger Nelson, Hal Baylor, in a fight that was set-up for him to lose. The only thing that went wrong was that his greedy manager Tiny, George Tobias, didn't inform him about it in order to keep Stoker's share of the $50.00 he was paid off to have Stoker throw the fight. Thinking that he was so over matched against Nelson that he'd lose without even having to take a dive. Robert Ryan, who was a national collegiate boxing champion at Dortmout and Loyola Collage for four years, is very effective in the fight scenes with Tiger Nelson giving as good as he takes against the much younger Nelson and dropping him for the full count. After it looked like that either he would be knocked out or the referee would have to stop the fight to keep him from being killed by the much younger and stronger opponent Tiger Nelson. When the fight is over Stoker's manager takes off with the pay-off loot and Stoker, who knew nothing of the set-up, is cornered in the empty boxing arena and beaten again by Tiger Nelson but this time Nelson had the help of a few hoods that he didn't have in the ring when he fought Stoker by himself. The only touch of humanity and kindness in this brutal and violent film is Stoker's wife Julie, Audrey Totter, with wanting him to quit the fight game before it ends up killing him. In the movies final scene when Stoker staggers out of the boxing arena after being beating up by the mobsters, for not throwing the fight which his manager "forgot" to tell him to do, and collapses in the street like a skid-row drunk the sight of Julie holding his head in her arms and sobbing and crying for someone to call for an ambulance would make the hardest hearts in this brutal movie melt. Stoker though beaten and his hands broken where he can never fight again leaves the fight business with his pride dignity and most of all his loving wife Julie, who stood by him during this whole ordeal,in tack and that makes for, if you can call something like that in this movie, a happy ending.

Fight scenes-wise, this was "Rocky" almost 30 years before there ever was a "Rocky." It was the same kind of unrelenting (and unrealistic in that no matter how bad the beating the good guy was getting, the good guy couldn't lose) boxing action that Sylvester Stallone likes so much. But, don't get me wrong, I liked this film. It was good stuff. 'Rocky" was drama, romance while this was film-noir.....and solid film-noir, too. Robert Ryan, playing a 35-year-old aging rank fighter, gives it his all against an up-and-coming kid, not knowing that he supposed to take a dive. He finally finds this out (his manager didn't tell him) and by then, he was not going give up trying against his opponent. There are so many punches thrown in this four-round bout it will make your head swim. The best part of this film, to me, was the cinematography, which was outstanding. Kudos to director Robert Wise for the photography. There are a lot of nice facial closeups in here, all of which look sharp on the recent DVD transfer. Humor is thrown into this film-noir as we see a variety of boxing fans, from the bloodthirsty woman to a fat man always eating to another guy acting out the action while in his ringside seat. They provide some much- needed respite from the grim story. Ryan, as he usually was, is interesting to watch. The ending of the film is a tough one and, I found tough to watch at times. Note: the film was done in "real time" - a 72-minute period in the life of the boxer Ryan portrays.

Boldly filmed in 'real time', the actual boxing match takes up one third of the film and is photographed and edited to nail-biting effect. In its own way, as good as raging bull. However, it is debatable if these films actually denounce boxing as some claim. Whatever exploitative practices go on, and however brutal it is, the sense of beauty, pride and dignity provided in victory is always strongly conveyed.

When I was younger, I actually enjoyed watching a boxing match. But now when I think about what happens to many boxers after they retire, it's hard for me to admire the sport. Some young people (particularly some urban youth) believe that it can be a get rich ticket--a path out of the ghetto. What these young people don't understand is that boxing takes its toll physically and when you get older, your body will bear the effects of the earlier abuse. Case in point: Muhammed Ali and countless others who were unable to enjoy their old age. In a sense, The Set-Up is a cautionary tale: it shows you exactly what the effect of boxing has on the body. It does not romanticize boxing and for that it should be commended. Nonetheless, as drama the Set-up is a dud. The main reason to watch it is the fantastic choreographed boxing scene (if you like boxing!) and the cinematography (the "cameos" of the spectators are priceless). Otherwise, the main characters have little meat. Robert Ryan (Stoker) plays a boxer who believes he has one fight left in him. He valiantly decides not to throw a fight and pays the price when gangsters beat him up after the fight is over and make sure he'll never fight again. Audrey Totter is his long-suffering girlfriend who has a wasted part, simply walking around the street, tearing up a ticket to her guy's last fight and basically not part of the main action of the film. While all the peripheral characters (including the gangster, "Little Boy"), are very colorful, none of them are developed into characters with any depth. The denouement is decidedly quite disappointing. Stoker gets his hand broken by the gangsters, realizes he'll never fight again, his girlfriend is happy and presumably they'll walk into the sunset, arm in arm, facing a new, optimistic tomorrow. Unfortunately, this is not the type of film you'll probably want to view a second time. Watch it once, but that's it!!!

The Set-Up is a fairly lackluster and uneventful boxing flick. This would have to be the shortest film I've ever seen, plus around two thirds of the film were spent in the ring, which is quite odd. Basically Stoker's corner makes a deal to throw the fight without telling Stoker, he wins the fight and his corner flees and Stoker cops the brunt for it. A worthy premise for a film, but it's all too short and poorly executed, the main character barely has dialogue. I don't know what I'm suppose to get out of this? Stoker: Yeah, top spot. And I'm just one punch away. Julie: I remember the first time you told me that. You were just one punch away from the title shot then. Don't you see, Bill, you'll always be just one punch away.

This film is a marvelous example of the film noir genre. Directed by Robert Wise, who learned his craft under Val Lewton, the film's settings and lighting, convey the feeling of a 40's boxing scenario - the sweaty neighborhood arena, the seedy hotel, the dark dimly lit streets. Robert Ryan is simply superb as the washed-up fighter who refuses to compromise his principles and take a dive. Audrey Totter as his long suffering wife and George Tobias as Ryan's handler are excellent too.

I love Robert Ryan films. Whether playing a scum bag or a hero, his gritty and realistic performances have always impressed me. One of his better films is this boxing flick. Ryan is an old washed-up boxer who is expected to take a dive. Through much of the film, you really don't know what he will do--throw the fight or try to salvage some of his dignity. And, I gotta say that the boxing scenes are brutal and realistic--it really HURTS to watch the fight. If you like the films THE HARDER THEY FALL or REQUIEM TO A HEAVYWEIGHT, then is this movie for you! In fact, try watching all three to get a look at the less glamorous and seedy side of boxing.

If your taste runs to happy endings and beautiful people than stay away from The Set-Up. But if gritty and realistic drama is your taste you can't do better than this noir classic about the world of boxing. The Set-Up anticipated Rod Serling's Requiem For a Heavyweight by a decade as it deals with the same issues about a boxer at the end of his career. Anthony Quinn might very well have seen Robert Ryan in The Set-Up when he played Mountain Rivera in Requiem For A Heavyweight. Rod Serling must have seen it as well. Both films deal with a boxer at the end of his career, but who has a lot of pride. Manager George Tobias and trainer Percy Helton get an offer from gambler Alan Baxter who is backing an up and coming heavyweight contender Hal Baylor. Ryan is just another step up the ladder, a ladder when Ryan was younger he was climbing. Tobias and Helton agree to take a dive, but no one can broach the subject to Ryan. Which sets it all up for the final match and the aftermath where Ryan betrayed by all hangs in on nerve and pride alone. What happens afterward is for you to view, but don't expect the same kind of resolution that Requiem For A Heavyweight gave. A really big surprise here are George Tobias and Percy Helton who normally play comic parts are quite serious here as a pair of fight game characters. The performances are so atypical of the work you've come to expect from both. Ryan's amateur boxing career no doubt stood him in good stead for this role. He makes a rugged looking boxer who's been through the ring wars over and over again. That helps him in this latest encounter. The sets are gritty and realistic, in fact I've never seen an urban area done so well until Otto Preminger's The Man With The Golden Arm debuted six years later. Preminger also might have been influenced by The Set-Up when he made his classic. Although unnoticed at first, The Set-Up has slowly built a reputation as one of the great noir films out of RKO and one of the best boxing films ever made. For myself it certainly influenced a lot of people.