The Set Up (1949)

An aging down on his luck boxer (Robert Ryan) keeps plugging away, sure that his luck will change with one big fight. What he doesn't know is that his sleazy manager (George Tobias) has taken money with the understanding that his fighter will take the fall. Based on a narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March and directed by Robert Wise (THE SOUND OF MUSIC). Shot in a real time narrative structure with no underscore, THE SET UP was critically admired upon its release and did well at the box office. While I quite liked it, I didn't love it as much as its reputation suggests. It's still very much admired by cinephiles and noir enthusiasts. I found the film a little too self conscious of what it was doing and I thought Wise's attitude toward the boxing audience over the top. I'm no fan of boxing and I understand boxing fans can be turned on by the thought of someone getting beaten to pulp but they're the visual equivalent of shrieking hyenas drooling for blood. Couldn't Wise have done a shot of at least one person turning away in disgust? The acting is first rate all the way down the line with both Ryan and Audrey Totter (as his girlfriend) giving career best performances. Considerably changed from the source material, notably the race of the protagonist which is African American. With James Edwards, Darryl Hickman and Wallace Ford.