The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Set-Up
Drama · Crime · 1949
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Movie details
The Set-Up
“I want a man … not a human punching bag!”
1949 Drama · Crime 1h 13m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.4 / 10
Community rating
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Set-Up?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Damned Don't Cry
Crime · 1950
Fed up with her small-town marriage, a woman goes after the big time and gets mixed up with the mob.
Plunder Road
Crime · 1957
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
Pitfall
Drama · 1948
An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.
Force of Evil
Crime · 1950
Lawyer Joe Morse wants to consolidate all the small-time numbers racket operators into one big powerful operation. But his elder brother Leo is one of these small-time operators who wants to stay that way, preferring not to deal with the gangsters who dominate the big-time.
Framed
Crime · 1947
Truck driver Mike Lambert is a down-and-out mining engineer searching for a job. When his rig breaks down in a small town, he happens upon a venomous seductress. When her boyfriend robs a bank, they intend to frame Lambert.
Johnny O'Clock
Crime · 1947
When an employee at an illegal gambling den dies suspiciously, her sister, Nancy, looks into the situation and falls for Johnny O'Clock, a suave partner in the underground casino. Selfish and non-committal by nature, Johnny slowly begins to return Nancy's affection and decides to run away with her, but conflict within his business threatens their plans. As Johnny tries to distance himself from the casino, his shady past comes back to haunt him.
Johnny Eager
Crime · 1941
A charming racketeer seduces the DA's stepdaughter for revenge, then falls in love.
Kid Galahad
Drama · 1962
After completing military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
The Champ
Drama · 1979
Billy used to be a great boxer, but he's settled into a hardscrabble life that revolves around drinking, training horses, and the one bright spot in his existence — his young son, T.J. Although Billy has had custody of T.J. since his wife, Annie, left the family years ago, her return prompts a new struggle for the former fighter. Determined to hold on to his son, Billy gets back into the ring to try and recapture his past success.
No Man of Her Own
Drama · 1950
A penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Robert Wise
Written by
Joseph Moncure March · Robert Wise · Art Cohn
Robert Ryan
Stoker
Audrey Totter
Julie
George Tobias
Tiny
Alan Baxter
Little Boy
Wallace Ford
Gus
Percy Helton
Red
Hal Baylor
Tiger Nelson
Court is in session
Put The Set-Up on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.