Overview
A washed-up boxer faces his greatest challenge yet: the fight for his future and integrity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- tense
- harrowing
- classic noir night
- boxing movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, harshly realistic boxing melodrama distinguished by Robert Ryan’s performance, Robert Wise’s direction, and its oppressive noir atmosphere.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The boxer’s final bout and the surrounding arena events play out across one tightly compressed night.
The smalltime arena, grimy streets, stale smoke, and harshly observed spectators create a physically oppressive noir world.
Stoker’s manager secretly sells his defeat, turning the boxer’s livelihood and safety into gambling currency.
Stoker insists he can still win even as age, his wife’s concern, and the boxing circuit’s indifference work against him.
Films like The Set-Up, and why
The Killers
shared film noir fatalism, morally compromised underworld figures, and escalating criminal tension
Body and Soul
shared boxing melodrama, battered working-class protagonists, and harsh scrutiny of exploitative sports culture
High Noon
shared real-time pressure, urban noir atmosphere, and a protagonist trapped by criminal circumstances
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Wise
- Release Date
- 1949-03-29
- Runtime
- 73 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (184)
Cast
- Robert Ryan
- Audrey Totter
- George Tobias
- Alan Baxter
- Wallace Ford
- Percy Helton
- Hal Baylor
- Darryl Hickman
- Kevin O'Morrison
- James Edwards
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Set-Up about?
- An aging boxer enters a rigged final bout and fights for dignity inside a corrupt, feverish world of gambling and spectacle.
- What is The Set-Up like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Set-Up as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Set-Up violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Set-Up as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Set-Up?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, harshly realistic boxing melodrama distinguished by Robert Ryan’s performance, Robert Wise’s direction, and its oppressive noir atmosphere.
- Which films are like The Set-Up?
- Films with a similar feel include The Killers, Body and Soul, and High Noon.
- How long is The Set-Up?
- The Set-Up runs 73 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Set-Up?
- In United States, The Set-Up is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
