The Set Up

“The Set Up” is a film noir dedicated to showing the life of a boxer at the end of his career. A man who has always been “one fight away from making it big”, a losing streak that had been affecting his personal life as well as his professional life. As the movie goes on you are shown a plethora of characters whom are at different stages of their careers. The young boxer who was able to punch his opponent out in two rounds, the old man that gets beaten senselessly and has to go to the hospital, and others whom are in between. This makes the protagonist; Stoker evaluate his career; has it been long enough? Is it time to give up the gloves and leave the ring forever? Or can I win, can I continue and become champion? Stokers girlfriend has had it with his career. She wants him to stop. It hurts her to see him beaten night after night and she wants to settle down. She had been given a ticket to go to the fight, but she chooses not to. There was a significant scene where there is no sound, and the camera is looking up at her as she emotionally rips the tickets up and lets the pieces flow in the wind. So in this movie a bookie expected him to lose a fight, like he had lost every other one. Stoker wants to win, since it was unknown to him he decided to fight his heart out and miraculously won. The bookie was angry and to teach Stoker a lesson they destroyed his hand and his ability to box. Although painful this was the best thing that could have happened to everyone. With Stoker out of boxing it allows him to be attentive to his woman. She in turn is also happy because although violent, her dream came true.

It’s a sort of evolution of the character. A man unable to come to terms with his end had it forced upon him. Now the only thing left is to see what happens after the hand is healed. To figure out what path is next.