The Set-Up

Play trailer

The Set-Up

1949

1h 12m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A boxer on the wane, Bill "Stoker" Thompson (Robert Ryan) is determined to stay in the game, in spite of his wife, Julie (Audrey Totter), who wants him to leave the dangerous sport. Unbeknownst to Stoker, his manager, Tiny (George Tobias), has lost confidence in him and sets the fighter up to lose an upcoming match at the request of a local gangster. Certain that Stoker will meet with defeat, Tiny neglects to tell him about the shady deal, resulting in conflict both in and out of the ring.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Nick Schager

Slant Magazine

05/01/2006

Its boilerplate fatalism undone by overbearing moralizing and the fact that Ryan's boxer is too one-dimensionally good to register as tragic.

Go to Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

08/19/2022

[Director Robert] makes the most of his low budget by reveling in the shabbiness of the locations: the smoke-filled arena filled with bloodthirsty fans, the cramped, crowded dressing room, the anonymous streets...

Go to Full Review

Nell Dodson Russell

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

12/15/2021

The fight itself is as brutal a bit of screen fare as this writer has ever seen. It's the excuse for the whole picture. You can almost forget the flimsy plot by the time you sit through it -- provided you go in for stark realism.

Go to Full Review

Elsa Branden

Photoplay

08/20/2021

1/3

By the time the last savage punch is delivered, it's well established that prizefighting, as depicted here, is an extremely sordid business.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

01/06/2021

2.5/4

Filmmaker Wise, working from Art Cohn's screenplay, delivers a real-time drama that boasts plenty of appealing, attention-grabbing attributes...

Go to Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

07/20/2020

6/10

This boxing and film noir drama, directed by Robert Wise for the RKO, has a few factors that I find interesting, but I don't think it's that great with its plot about the redemption of an unsuccessful boxer. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Noel L

3d

This movie started like the Rumble in the Jungle fight. But ended like the origin story of Daredevil

See more

Arlen S

Sep 11

So good. IMO this movie should be more well known. It stands up very well in 2025. A noir of sorts but one with i think is a happy ending though that it is happy could be debated. A very realistic look at boxing of the time and now too in some ways. The old champion being made into fodder for the up and comer. Very tight and entertaining.

See more

Sam N

Mar 25

Solid little noir with a great sense of place—sweaty gyms, grimy streets, and a ticking clock that adds real tension. The boxing scenes pack a punch and the mood’s properly bleak. It’s not top-tier stuff, but at just over an hour, it doesn’t waste your time. Worth a watch.

See more

acsdoug D

@acsdoug 07/10/2024

Why hadn't I heard of this movie before? It's a low budget gem.

See more

Blu B

01/10/2024

All Time Classic. It's a very simple straightforward story that doesn't really take any twists or turns and takes a long time to carry out the main plot of a super short runtime. It still does manage to take a emotinal turn at the end that makes it heartwarming out of nowhere. Even with no music to speak of besides the opening his never feels dry but very deliberate for the most part. The editing is really good with the only minor weakness being it does jump between Julie and it does feel a bit meandering as what she does for the hour isn't that interesting or feels important. However it does add up in the end. Everything else is exceptional. This is shot like a noir and oozes atmosphere at times. The fight is amazing and is jaw dropping how good it looks. It really never drags at all. Ryan does a excellent job also and especially the acting in the ring is amazing. The clock opening and closing at the films EXACT runtime also was such a nice touch and attnetion to detail as well. Everyone should give this a try.

See more

Jay F

@LiberteBurrows 11/22/2023

Amazing. Another banger of a B from RKO. Wise's direction and Ryan's action in the ring are both tremendous. Perfectly demonstrates that the vast majority of "critics" have dog sh*t between their ears instead of brains. How anybody could give less than 4 stars is beyond my comprehension.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Robert Wise

Director

Robert Ryan

Stoker

Audrey Totter

Julie

George Tobias

Tiny

Alan Baxter

Little Boy

Wallace Ford

Gus

In Name Only

100%

74%

In Name Only

Watchlist

Mourning Becomes Electra

67%

45%

Mourning Becomes Electra

Watchlist

Any Number Can Play

14%

62%

Any Number Can Play

Watchlist

No Way Out

85%

82%

No Way Out

Watchlist

The Quiet Man

91%

91%

The Quiet Man

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Quiet Man

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

24 Stars Who Dominated the Boxing Ring

View more photos

Synopsis

A boxer on the wane, Bill "Stoker" Thompson (Robert Ryan) is determined to stay in the game, in spite of his wife, Julie (Audrey Totter), who wants him to leave the dangerous sport. Unbeknownst to Stoker, his manager, Tiny (George Tobias), has lost confidence in him and sets the fighter up to lose an upcoming match at the request of a local gangster. Certain that Stoker will meet with defeat, Tiny neglects to tell him about the shady deal, resulting in conflict both in and out of the ring.

Director: Robert Wise
Producer: Richard Goldstone
Screenwriter: Art Cohn
Production Co: RKO Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 12m

Most Popular at Home Now