The Set-Up (1949)

The Set-Up
Directed by Robert Wise
1949/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
Repeat viewing

[box] Stoker Thompson: Everybody makes book on something.[/box]

This superbly acted and utterly grim boxing film is a noir classic of the genre.  The movie is one of the few to be told in real time.  The action encompasses the 73 minutes it takes to tell the tale.

Stoker Thompson (Robert Ryan) is a washed-up fighter taking matches at the bottom of bills in regional clubs.  His manager has so little faith in him that he takes a bribe for Stoker to throw a fight without bothering to tell his man.  Stoker’s wife Julie (Audrey Totter) pleads with Stoker to give up the game and refuses to attend this night’s fight because she doesn’t want to see him beat up.  Her absence eats away at Stoker and makes him more determined than ever to win his bout.  Most of the last two-thirds of the film takes place either in the ring or in the dressing-room.

I think Robert Ryan is one of the great actors of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s and he is phenomenal in this movie.  He tells more with his eyes in a single close up than most actors can with pages of dialogue.  Audrey Totter did not have a big career but is also excellent as are the supporting players.  Both these actors may be better known for playing heavies but handle these sympathetic roles well.

The great noir cinematography is by Milton Krasner who won an award for his work here at Cannes.  Robert Wise keeps everything flowing brilliantly.  I especially liked the use of the bloodthirsty fans in the crowd, who are almost like a Greek chorus.  Not an uplifting experience but highly recommended.

Clip – Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter