The Set-Up

The Set-Up (1949)

Runtime: 72 delightful minutes

Directed: Masterfully by Robert Wise

Starring: Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias, Alan Baxter, Wallace Ford, Percy Helton

From: RKO

Even if boxing isn’t my favorite sport, this is still a great motion picture. Despite my knowledge of all the praise this has attached to it for years, it took until a DVR viewing last night for me to discover this for myself. The plot was simple: in a story presented real-time, boxer Stoker Thompson (Robert Ryan) is such an old tomato can, his trainers don’t tell him that his fight against promising newcomer Tiger Nelson is fixed (in boxing? Say it ain’t so!) and Thompson is supposed to lose in the third round—they just presume he’s such a bum, Nelson can easily earn a victory in a cakewalk. Naturally, the people calling for the fix are in attendance at the Paradise City Athletic Club; you can take me down there each Friday night as that’s when they have pro wrestling…

Is it a spoiler to state that Stoker puts up more of a challenge against Tiger than expected? The performances are top-notch (whether it be Ryan, his long suffering girlfriend Audrey Totter who can’t even stand to see her man lose once again) or the various ancillary characters we see throughout. Also, the crisp direction from Robert Wise, the stunning cinematography from Milton R. Krasner, and the sharp editing from Roland Gross help make this an enthralling 72 minute experience.

All those ancillary characters help breathe life into this; that includes Thompson’s fellow boxers, who range from newcomers to those who are also in the tail end of their careers. Then there’s the fans in attendance; what a motley crew they were. From the overweight fellow always consuming food & drink to a pugilistic princess (meaning, a young lady fight fan), a young couple to a blind man who has his friend give him play by play… this was a key in making this a great motion picture.

Believe it or not, this was based on a long narrative poem written in the 20’s by Joseph Moncure March; I understand the poem was about a Black boxer but sadly, because it was the late 40’s that changed so a white star could be the lead. Even then, the movie is well worth seeing. BTW, March also wrote a more infamous poem, The Wild Party; I’ve never seen the 1975 film adaptation but I understand that was a disappointment, mainly due to it being an AIP production and their attempt at something with a bigger budget; not surprisingly, them working with a Merchant/Ivory production was a recipe for disaster.