Robert Ryan is a victim of "The Set-Up" in this 1949 film also starring Audrey Totter, George Tobias and Percy Helton. Ryan plays Stoker Thompson, a 35-year-old prize fighter who is still trying to make it. Totter is his wife, who wants him to quit before he's crippled and/or brain-damaged. In fact, she's not even sure she can watch him fight anymore, though he begs her to come to the arena. What he doesn't know is that his handlers have accepted money for him to take a fall. They don't bother telling him because they believe he's going to lose anyway.
Hollywood has long had a love affair with the fight business. It's easy to see why - it's a visual sport and one-on-one, and there's always a story to tell, either about a loser or an egomaniacal winner. "The Set-Up" is a fascinating film brilliantly directed by Robert Wise, with the boxing match done in real time. The action switches back and forth from the arena to Stoker's wife walking through the dark city trying to sort out her feelings and ultimately ripping up her ticket to the match. Meanwhile, Stoker keeps looking out the window at his apartment window - when he sees that the lights are off, he believes she's coming to the fight.
The fight itself is incredibly realistic and brutal, and the focus is on what can only be described as sadists sitting around the ring yelling, truly man at his most barbaric in Wise's approach. The entire experience - the fight and the audience reactions - is very uncomfortable. The match is difficult enough to watch, but the aftermath is worse for the tension factor alone. Interestingly, Wise lets us see the violence in the ring and let's us imagine some of the violence outside of it later.
For a time in his career, Robert Ryan had kind of a gentle giant thing going occasionally. A very prolific actor, he could be pathetic, as he is here, or take on a character with mental or emotional problems with ease. As his career continued, he played increasingly more angry and violent men. Toward the end of his career, however, he portrayed John the Baptist and Nolan in "The Man Without a Country." He's terrific here as a sad, desperate man going for the glory when he's just about washed up; he is in a business with no humanity, yet he sticks out because he is kind and reeks of goodness. Audrey Totter is very good as his wife, who loves him and wants more for him than being beaten up. Tobias and Helton give great performances as men whose souls left them a long time ago. The rest of the cast is equally good.
This film makes a profound impression on the viewer, and if you're not interested in fighting, you definitely won't be after this film. If you're a fan of the sport, you'll perhaps ask yourself why. No matter what, you won't be unaffected.
Hollywood has long had a love affair with the fight business. It's easy to see why - it's a visual sport and one-on-one, and there's always a story to tell, either about a loser or an egomaniacal winner. "The Set-Up" is a fascinating film brilliantly directed by Robert Wise, with the boxing match done in real time. The action switches back and forth from the arena to Stoker's wife walking through the dark city trying to sort out her feelings and ultimately ripping up her ticket to the match. Meanwhile, Stoker keeps looking out the window at his apartment window - when he sees that the lights are off, he believes she's coming to the fight.
The fight itself is incredibly realistic and brutal, and the focus is on what can only be described as sadists sitting around the ring yelling, truly man at his most barbaric in Wise's approach. The entire experience - the fight and the audience reactions - is very uncomfortable. The match is difficult enough to watch, but the aftermath is worse for the tension factor alone. Interestingly, Wise lets us see the violence in the ring and let's us imagine some of the violence outside of it later.
For a time in his career, Robert Ryan had kind of a gentle giant thing going occasionally. A very prolific actor, he could be pathetic, as he is here, or take on a character with mental or emotional problems with ease. As his career continued, he played increasingly more angry and violent men. Toward the end of his career, however, he portrayed John the Baptist and Nolan in "The Man Without a Country." He's terrific here as a sad, desperate man going for the glory when he's just about washed up; he is in a business with no humanity, yet he sticks out because he is kind and reeks of goodness. Audrey Totter is very good as his wife, who loves him and wants more for him than being beaten up. Tobias and Helton give great performances as men whose souls left them a long time ago. The rest of the cast is equally good.
This film makes a profound impression on the viewer, and if you're not interested in fighting, you definitely won't be after this film. If you're a fan of the sport, you'll perhaps ask yourself why. No matter what, you won't be unaffected.