Robert Wise has a great Set-Up

Robert Wise's The Set-Up is one of those perfect, little, low budget, 72 minute movies. During the film's first half, we discover that the manager of a boxer played by Robert Ryan has agreed to have Ryan's character throw the fight for the sake of a gangster who doesn't like to lose his bets. However, the manager decides not to tell Ryan's character that he is to throw the fight. Why should he, Ryan is 35 (over the hill for a boxer) and he's fighting and up and coming young boxer. He's past his prime, so need to worry him over rigged fights, right? Well, it turns out, Ryan's got something to prove. He's still got a few good fights left in him. Much of the first half takes place in the locker room as the fighters prepare for their four rounds of glory. Fighters get nervous in preparation, some are saying that this may be their last. Others are brought back, bruised, bloodied and incoherent, while others return victorious. Because nobody's counting on Ryan's character to do anything, his fight is relegated to the end, after the main event. He's been around a time or two. He knows most of the fighters in the locker room, and they know and respect him. Some confide in him as he just smiles and realizes how he probably coulda been a contender, once upon a time. Time for his fight arrives and he is brought into the ring. At this point, I became very surprised at the direction. The four rounds of boxing are probably the greatest pre-Rocky/Raging Bull boxing scenes. Interestingly, the camera never enters the ring with the fighters. It always stays outside the ropes, but it is surprisingly realistic. I felt like I was watching a boxing match. As I was watching it, I didn't think they'd be able to sustain the intensity for a full four rounds without moving in closer, but I was wrong. The fight had me engaged the whole time. Occassionally it would cut to various people in the crowd including the gangster who wants the fight rigged, a blind man who is having the fight narrated by a friend, and fat man who eats hot dogs, and other such fight aficianados. Martin Scorsese must have endlessly rewatched this one before preparing for Raging Bull. It is filmed in a film noir style, but only has the vaguest of film noir plots. The closest film of the era I could compare it to would be Body and Soul. I won't say what happens in the end, and I half to admit that the resolution drags on a bit longer than it needs to, but all in all, I found this to be a very satisfying film.