How good is The Set-Up?

The Set-Up has a Lunoo score of 8.3/10. This score is based on AI-powered analysis of category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, and recency.

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The Set-Up

Name: The Set-Up
Description: The Set-Up is a 1949 American film noir starring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter, adapted from Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 poem. Directed by Robert Wise in his final RKO production, the movie explores themes within the boxing drama genre. It remains one of Wise's personally favored directorial works.

8.30

Great

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description The Set-Up Overview

The Set-Up is a 1949 American film noir starring Robert Ryan and Audrey Totter, adapted from Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 poem. Directed by Robert Wise in his final RKO production, the movie explores themes within the boxing drama genre. It remains one of Wise's personally favored directorial works.

info The Set-Up Specifications

Country	United States
Year	1949

help The Set-Up FAQ

Why is The Set-Up often called a real-time boxing movie?

Robert Wise's 1949 film runs about 72 minutes and roughly follows the same span of time in the story. That tight clock makes Stoker Thompson's doomed fight feel immediate and trapped.

Who is Stoker Thompson in The Set-Up?

Stoker Thompson is the aging boxer played by Robert Ryan. His manager takes money for him to lose a fight but never tells Stoker, because everyone assumes he cannot win anyway.

What poem is The Set-Up adapted from?

The screenplay was adapted from Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem The Set-Up. The film changes key details but keeps the basic idea of a boxer caught in a fixed fight.

Why do noir fans single out The Set-Up?

It combines film noir fatalism with a boxing story, using cramped arenas, shadowy crowds, and a brutal final act. Robert Wise later directed much larger films, but he often named The Set-Up among his favorites from his RKO years.

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