The Set-Up (1949) is an example of film noir. Like The Harder They Fall and Body and Soul, boxing is the main theme. The film stars Robert Ryan (Ryan was a boxing champion while a student at Dartmouth college) as Stoker, an aging boxer who lives to fight. His manager is sure he will lose his last match so he takes money for a "dive" from a tough gambler, but doesn't tell Stoker. Suspense builds when Stoker is coming on in the fight hoping to beat Tiger Nelson. The Set-up also stars Audrey Totter as Julie and George Tobias as Tiny. Based upon a narrative poem published in 1928 by Joseph Moncure March. The film is shot in what appears to be real time. Martin Scorsese admits on the movie's DVD commentary that the Set-up inspired many elements in the Scorsese-directed Raging Bull while the Bruce Willis character of boxer Butch Coolidge in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction is believed by some to have been inspired by Ryan's character.
Movie Quote:
Red: "I tell you, Tiny, you gotta let him in on it."
Tiny: "How many times I gotta say it? There's no percentage in smartenin' up a chump."
External links
See the list of films noir for more examples of noir.
Won Best Cinematography (Milton R. Krasner ) and the FIPRESCI Prize
(Robert Wise) at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival
Last updated: 06-02-2005 14:20:16
