The Set-Up is a 1949 film noir movie that is based on American boxing, it is starring Robert Ryan as Stoker Thompson, and Audrey Totter as Julie Thompson his wife. This is unlike all of the other film noirs we have watched in class because it is not solely based on crime, and murder like the others are. This is based on fixing a boxing match, between two boxer’s managers, and one boxer learning the consequence of not going through with the fix.

We are introduced to Stoker Thompson an older boxer way past his prime fighting to keep his head afloat and he has the mentality that he is only one big win away from a title shot. His wife does not want to hear it, she has been dealing with this for too long and is tired of seeing him get beaten badly. Throughout the movie you go through a perfect image of a film noir city/ setting. There is a lot of perfect silence throughout the film that really drives the point of certain scenes. It starts out in a dingy lockeroom for Stoker contemplating his fight and hoping his wife shows up. As he enters the ring with a young gun he realizes that Julie is not there, which then leads him to fighting his heart out for Julie to prove that he is not done that he has more fight left in him. His manager sees that he is clearly winning each round and may have a shot at beating him in the third round he tells Stoker take a dive that if you do not we will be in a lot of trouble. He is not going to take a dive he does not find that satisfactory. His manager and trainer leaves before the fight is over because he nearly has won and it’s inevitable that the knock out is going to come.

As the fight is over and he is approached by the other manager and gangster he realizes how much trouble he actually is in, and it is time for him to leave without being seen. He finds a door to an alley but eventually gets caught. As they hold him down he gets beaten so badly they even break his hand to the point he cannot fight anymore. Julie is worried she looks out the window to see Stoker in the gutter by the arena and rushes to his aid. Stoker realizes the stupid thing he has done and comes to the conclusion that his career as a boxer is over. This was a really good movie in my opinion I enjoyed it, I liked the change of pace it had as a film noir genre there was not that much murder and you reflected with Stoker through the whole movie. The movie device of silence was well placed throughout the movie and really made it complete.