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Bill "Stoker" Thompson (Robert Ryan) is an older, superannuated boxer with a long losing streak. His manager Tiny (George Tobias) has therefore made a deal with a gangster for a knockout match against the younger, promising boxer "Tiger" Nelson (Hal Baylor). Tiny, however, chooses not to inform Stoker. The reason for this is that he already feels certain that Stoker will lose and therefore hopes to keep the money for himself. Stoker, however, has decided to give his all in this match. He wants to show himself, his girlfriend and everyone else that he is someone to be reckoned with.

A unique stylistic move for The Set-up is that it takes place in real time. This means that the boxing rounds are shown in full. During the boxing sequences, the boxing also alternates regularly between the fighters and the reactions of various characters in the audience and Stoker's manager. Although the boxing takes up a large part of the film's length, it never feels drawn out. Instead, the rounds are completely dripping with excitement and we as spectators are completely immersed in Stoker's fight. We long for the sound of the boxing gong so that we and Stoker will have a chance to breathe. Martin Scorsese has regularly mentioned The Set-Up as one of his favorite films and was inspired by the film a lot when he directed Raging Bull.

Director Robert Wise had a long career and was especially praised/praised for the musical films West Side Story and Sound of Music. In my opinion, however, The Set-Up is his strongest and most intense film. Robert Ryan gives one of his best acting performances in the film and Stoker's fate is touching. It is also worth knowing that Robert Ryan boxed during his time in college and Hal Baylor had a professional career as a boxer.

Ace in the Hole is one of the most underrated films directed by Billy Wilder. For its time, it has an extremely dark theme and today it could almost be classified as a black comedy. And although Billy Wilder has tackled dark subject matters before (Sunset Blvd.), he is definitely best known for his comedies/collaborations with Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot & The Apartment). Ace in the Hole was also not particularly appreciated by its contemporary critics who called it both cynical and merciless. It was also a boxoffice flop and the film failed to attract enough people to even recoup its budget.

The film follows Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a former great journalist who feverishly fights to find a scoop. When he hears that a man is stuck in a cave, he does everything in his power to prolong the rescue and to get exclusive rights to all interviews with the victim. He does this to get a boost in his stagnant career. The story proves very engaging to the public and the area around the cave becomes the home of a carnival that many curious people visit. However, the story takes a dark turn when the man in the cave becomes seriously ill.

Kirk Douglas is very good in the role of the hungry/unscrupulous journalist and the film feels very relevant even today. It has a lot to say about human greed and that we may not have come that far from the time when public executions were an event. About clickbait articles and that the drive for profit before journalistic press ethics. Ace in the Hole was clearly ahead of its time and if you can handle the difficult subject matter, it's a world-class film that absolutely shouldn't be missed by anyone.

What most people probably remember about The Brown Bunny is the major controversy of including an unsimulated graphic sex scene. Film critic Roger Ebert also referred to the film as "one of the most boring experiences ever" and that it would be more fun to "watch paint dry". After this harsh criticism, Vincent Gallo trimmed the film down by almost half an hour and Roger Ebert later revised his opinion to the film. All the criticism and negative writing also led to Chloë Sevigny regretting her participation in the film. It's a shame that the film was so criticized because there is absolutely something beautiful and special here. The film has a downright melancholy tone and the motorcycle rider Bud Clay (Vincent Gallo) is portrayed with both sadness, loss, misery and hatred at the same time. If you try to compare the atmosphere with something else, the closest you can get is probably Harmony Korine's Gummo.

The dialogue is sparse and much of the film depicts an introspective trip to California. Over there awaits a meeting with Bud's former love Daisy (Chloë Sevigny). During the journey, he visits Daisy's parents. This very strange encounter is perhaps the first clue that something is not quite right with Bud Clay's psyche. Along the way, he also has some fleeting encounters with various women, but none of them seem to put him in a better mood. It all culminates in a graphic meeting with Daisy when we as spectators finally find out the truth of what happened. The scene is not erotic but is used to reinforce Bud Clay's torn inner self and his destructive frame of mind. The Brown Bunny is not an easy film to watch, but it is one of a kind and deserves far more praise than it initially received.