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Information
- Year
- 1949
- Runtime
- 73 min.
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Genres
- Sport, Film-Noir
- Rating *
- 7.8
- Votes *
- 4,902
- Checks
- 1,983
- Favs
- 203
- Dislikes
- 10
- Favs/checks
- 10.2% (1:10)
- Favs/dislikes
- 20:1
Top comments
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MrE2Me
A superbly executed, touching little film that is more of a suspenseful drama than noir. Events play out in real time as an aging boxer fights a bout, unaware that he's supposed to take a dive in the third round. There's not a false note in the entire picture. 13 years 2 months ago -
TheGallopingGhost
The Set-Up has perhaps the most straightforward plot I have ever actually seen, but the execution makes it worth the watchn 13 years 3 months ago -
Siskoid
The Set-Up is as fit and trim as a boxer should be, not just in terms of length, but in the world it creates in those 73 minutes. Everything that happens is either in preparation for a fight, the fight, or its aftermath, practically in real time. It's one of the better boxing fights I've seen on film too, it feels long and desperate, an aging athlete's last shot at glory (Robert Ryan is good in the role). Whether we're in the crowd, or in the boxers' locker room (which feels like the waiting room of a meat grinder), or on the streets of that town with long-suffering girlfriend Audrey Totter walking around and anxiously waiting out the clock, director Bob Wise is building that world as much as he can. Sound design also comes in, eschewing music for ambient sound - the roar of the crowd, traffic in the streets... And what do we think of that ending, and in particular the mixed feelings playing on Totter's face? The last of Wise's low-budget efforts for RKO, he certainly made it a good one. 4 years ago
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In 10 official lists
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This movie ranks #25 in IMDb's Sport Top 50
IMDb's Sport Top 50
25 -
This movie ranks #29 in IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
29 -
This movie ranks #50 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…
50 -
This movie ranks #61 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
61 -
This movie ranks #61 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
TSPDT's 100 Essential No…
61 -
This movie ranks #196 in Doubling the Canon
Doubling the Canon
196 -
This movie ranks #682 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…
682 -
This movie ranks #762 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
The New York Times's Boo…
762 -
This movie ranks #793 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
793 -
This movie ranks #1353 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
1353