The Set-Up poster & wallpaper

Alan Baxter, Audrey Totter, Darryl Hickman, George Tobias, Hal Baylor ...( see more  see more... ) , Percy Helton , Robert Ryan , Wallace Ford

An over-the-hill fighter prepares for his bout at the end of the night's card. His long-suffering wife pleads for him to quit while his manager takes a payoff from a mobster meant to ensure that he fa...( read more  read more... )ils.

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90% liked it

1,064 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Robert Wise

Release Date: January 1, 1949

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DVD Release Date: July 6, 2004

Stats: 91 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (91)

  • flixsterman
    September 29, 2009
    flixsterman
    Playing in real time, The Set-Up is the story of a washed up prizefighter looking for one last shot at glory. According to IMDb, the screenplay was actually based on a poem about a black boxer named Pansy Jones. The author, Joseph March, was reportedly unhappy about his ...( read more)character being changed to Stoker Thompson, a white man.

    Unlike most films about boxing, the fight scenes here seem raw and unchoreographed. Robert Ryan (who, by the way, was a boxer at Dartmouth) is completely believable in his portrayal and director Robert Wise manages to make the dark tension of the piece tangible. You can almost feel the punches and smell the sweat.
  • rubystevens
    January 4, 2008
    rubystevens
    a terrific stripped down boxing picture made in real time. robert ryan plays a fighter facing the end of his career. incredible fight scenes and beautifully rendered characters inhabiting their own little world. just great
  • kenstachnik
    October 15, 2007
    kenstachnik
    Wow...

    A perfectly crafted film.

    Possibly the best boxing movie ever made.
    Better than Cinderella Man
    Better than Rocky
    Better than Body and Soul

    Almost better than Raging Bull (almost)

    Yeah. I went there.
  • brooklynspo
    April 17, 2007
    brooklynspo
    this film is TIGHT.
  • mjgildea
    November 12, 2006
    mjgildea
    So well done. I'm pretty sure this is done in real time too.
  • alexroy69
    March 14, 2009
    alexroy69
    Robert Wise est probablement l'un des réalisateurs américains que l'on connaît le plus pour les mauvaises raisons. Au travers de ses quarante et quelques films, dont la bonne moitié sont à peu près insignifiants, il a réussi à pondre des classiques dans à peu près tous les genres...( read more), de la comédie musicale à la science-fiction, en passant par le film noir et l'horreur de série B.

    On se souviendra de lui surtout pour "West Side Story", "The Sound of Music", "The Day the Earth Stood Still" et "Star Trek", ce qui est assez décevant quand on considère qu'il a réalisé de petits bijoux de cinéma, comme justement "The Set-Up". À peu près personne n'a entendu parlé de ce film-là, et c'est pourtant un précurseur avoué de "Raging Bull", ainsi que l'une des meilleures performances en carrière de Robert Ryan, un autre acteur génial et injustement oublié.

    On pourrait arguer qu'au fond, tout le monde se fout un peu de mes films "obscurs" des années 40, mais ce serait vous les pires, parce que quiconque s'intéresse sérieusement au cinéma doit voir "The Set-Up". C'est tout simplement un tour de force de composition et de réalisation. Les scènes de boxe sont sublimes, la photographie est pas mal dans ce qu'on trouve de meilleur dans le genre "rues peu accueillantes pleines de clair-obscur", et le jeu, bah c'est du grand aussi.

    Un film de 72 minutes, en durée réelle, avec autant d'intensité et de profondeur, ça se fait plus vraiment de nos jours. C'est plus qu'un film de boxe, c'est carrément le récit d'un homme acharné qui refuse de s'éteindre comme une vieille bougie. Et ça a quelque chose de foncièrement réaliste qui ne peut pas faire autrement que de toucher. Aucune fioriture, aucun code hollywoodien cheesy, juste du vrai bon cinéma.
  • wilmothoudini
    March 4, 2009
    wilmothoudini
    Almost real-time boxing movie, this was a real surprise. Very engaging, and beautifully filmed. Also a nicely restrained performance from Audrey Totter who gets to step out from her "bad girl" typecasting.
  • jjnxn
    September 24, 2008
    jjnxn
    Tough tight little noir. Lean in the best sense, not one shot is wasted.
  • centsless
    August 23, 2008
    centsless
    This B&W RKO production on par with Rocky and Raging Bull.
  • villainforhire
    August 6, 2008
    villainforhire
    well done, but there's just not quite enough for me to sink my teeth into.

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