For a fairly early directorial effort from Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Wise, we go to 1949’s The Set-Up. The story introduces us to Stoker Thompson (Robert Ryan), a boxer who lives on the sport’s margins.

This means Stoker scrambles to eke out a living, though he continues to dream he’ll eventually hit the big time. Given his history of multiple losses and his advancing age, however, this seems unlikely.

While his wife Julie (Audrey Totter) begs him to quit, Stoker plugs away, and this leads to a big fight against Tiger Nelson (Hal Fieberling). Unbeknownst to Stoker, however, his manager Tiny (George Tobias) enters the ring with his own agenda, one that may not agree with Stoker’s.

As I wrote the synopsis, I didn’t want to give away too much about the movie’s twist, but given the plot’s progression, it wouldn’t really qualify as a spoiler. We learn of Tiny’s betrayal early in the film, so the tension arises from what Stoker will actually do.

Set-Up comes from an unusual source, as it stems from a 20-year-old narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March. Not many poems end up as features, though this does explain the film’s length, as Set-Up clocks in at a mere 72 minutes.

The movie uses that space well, as Wise paints an indelible picture across that brief running time. The tale opens on fight night, a surprising choice, as I expected the movie to offer some build prior to this event.

The decision to focus so strongly on the evening in question doesn’t mean Set-Up skimps on character development, though, as it manages to give us plenty of relevant information. Most of the movie stays in the locker room, so we get to know Stoker and other pugilists there.

This becomes an effective choice, as it conveys enough character material to suffice, and it also humanizes the boxers. Set-Up focuses on the dark side of the boxing business, as we see a series of scared, beaten-down fighters.

These sad-sack boxers contrast with the blood lust from the crowd. Wise makes it clear that the audience just views the fighters as meat to be ground for their entertainment. That may not be an original concept, but Wise makes the experience more emotionally relevant than usual.

Because Stoker remains unaware of Tiny’s betrayal, another good twist emerges. Most stories of this sort would look at the tale as a morality play in which the lead battles his conscience, but here, we get more suspense.

The narrative embraces the Hitchcockian conceit related to a bomb. When the audience knows of a danger that the characters don’t realize, the tension lasts longer, and that becomes true here, as we feel anxious to see Stoker’s fate.

Even without that element, Set-Up offers a satisfying character drama. It brings a gritty look at its subject matter and turns into a strong tale.

The Set-Up appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This Blu-ray offered generally positive visuals.

Overall, sharpness seemed good with only a few sporadic instances of softness. The movie occasionally became a little ill-defined, but not with much frequency. Most of the movie exhibited satisfactory to strong definition.

Moiré effects and jagged edges were not a problem, and edge enhancement remained absent. Print flaws failed to become a distraction, as no specks, marks or other issues manifested here.

Black levels were usually quite good. Occasionally they seemed a little inky, but for the most part, they were pretty deep and dark. Shadows were also satisfying the majority of the time, as only a few shots looked a bit thick. I thought the film usually appeared attractive.

In addition, I felt largely pleased with the movie's DTS-HD MA monaural audio. I don't expect a whole lot from old soundtracks, and Set-Up didn't give me much, but it worked fine for a film of its era.

Dialogue seemed clear and reasonably natural. At times, the lines felt a bit edgy, but given the track’s vintage, these elements remained within expected parameters.

Both effects and music seemed decent but lacked great range, so they offered adequate clarity and that’s about it. The track displayed no discernible noise or other concerns. While not a great mix, the audio was more than acceptable for its age.

In terms of extras, we find an audio commentary with filmmakers Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese. Recorded for a 2004 DVD, both sat separately for this edited track.

During his portion, Wise discusses how he came to the project as well as cast/crew and production areas. Scorsese focuses on his exposure to the film and some insights/interpretation of it.

Given the presence of two cinematic giants, I really looked forward to the commentary, so the end result becomes a major disappointment. That occurs mainly because the track suffers from a lot of dead air.

With a 72-minute running time, it should be easy to fill that space, but we get many lulls. When we hear from Scorsese or Wise, the content seems decent to good, but the gaps make this a lackluster chat.

A compelling drama with boxing as the backdrop, Set-Up brings real heft to the subject matter. A grim view of athletes on society’s margins, the story seems concise and effective. The Blu-ray brings generally appealing picture and audio along with a disappointing commentary. Set-Up holds up well after 70 years.