Set-up

Year: 1949

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Wise

Review

the first film james edwards (black parking lot attendant in “the killing”) ever appeared in. he’s not very well known, but he’s a good actor so i figured i’d mention him. film noir is one of the rare genres that produced great films consistently, even when they received second billing. this film is a pretty good example of a film that probably was considered a b-film and probably got second billing to third man, or something similar. but like i said, just because it’s a second billing film doesn’t make it second rate and that’s partially thanks to the genre. sexploitation films or horror films, for example, are much easier to botch in comparison to Noir films. and though the film lacked a-list talent for the time, some of the people involved in the picture (wise, edwards and ryan to name a few) went on to do better things later in their career. to me, noir is a pre-packaged formula that doesn’t get old, unlike the teen films or action films of today. i have to acknowledge that many noir films do the same things and use the same conventions (flash back, voice-over narration, extreme shadows, they often feature newspaper men or private investigators as the protagonists, and they all have the same dark life philosophy). however, just because they’re formulaic doesn’t mean they can’t be individualistic or great in their own way. set-up is rife with nice touches and good Noir lines. sure it’s no double indemnity, but it’s well directed and written. the fight sequence towards the end of the film is great filmmaking.