Set It Off (1996)

Kick a55 movie with a decent soundtrack

Another flick in my collection that gets frequent watches. Set It Off features four women that finally had it with being dealt fates bad hands. They come up with ideas to rob a bank. Of course, if the job is successful. Why not try it again? I mean, that's what I did... or would do. I will tell you this, these women are fine and we can share a hot tub for real. Threesomes is cool and even four but there is always room for one more.

The acting is very solid to me and this group of bandits is impossible to dislike. The writing is good and there is a bit of character development. The action scenes are pretty good and the movie never slows down to me.

If action and drama is your thing then check this out. It can feel a bit light hearted and funny at times. But make no mistake, I know plenty of people who went to tears watching this. Also if you're a fan of R&B especially, it would be ok to pick up the soundtrack too. Now, I'm not THAT crazy about R&B. I usually keep it around just to set the mood. But the soundtrack does get spins once in awhile. Even though at times it feels like a mixed bag. May 31, 2008

Not to be missed!

Set It Off is a brilliant film about ordinary women driven to a life of crime by circumstances beyond their control. A sibling murdered by police, a child taken away unfairly by a social worker, an abusive employer -- that and more push them over the edge.

The performances here are so wonderful, that you can forgive any flaw. You just may have seen this good-folks-gone-bad story line done before, but never quite so compellingly. Queen Latifa is a standout in the cast, and every one was outrageously good!

This is a DVD that belongs in your collection, especially if you're looking for a movie to watch with friends. It's the kind of film you'll talk about for quite some time. Don't miss it! March 2, 2008

The Best Movie I've ever seen

A great movie with a great cast, this movie shows what can happen when you push a black woman to her last straw. From the beginning to the end this movie shows how easily one can be profiled as a criminal just by the company she keeps. Like how one of the characters were surrounded and killed by the SWAT team just because he had the same hair cut as one of the bank robbers. And he was a soon-to-be college student. There is a lot of emotions shown in this movie when the it takes you into each characters personal life and thier reasons for robbing the bank. Don't get me wrong there are no reasons for committing a crime like a bank robbery but their stories are compelling. The ending is sad, even though there was a bright side to the ending. It kind've teaches you a lesson about friendship and material things.

The acting was fantastic, you almost felt like the characters were real individuals(of course that is the point of acting). Queen, Jada, Kimberly, and Vivic really make this movie come to life. I would watch this movie all day everyday, just because it's so great. October 22, 2007

MY FAvorite MOvie evER

I LIKE THE MOVIE BECAUSE OF ITS CONTENTS AND HOW THEY POTRYED THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO THEIR CHARACTER.IT'S VERY SELDOM I CAN FIND THE PERFECT MOVIE AND THIS ONE WAS THE FIRST TO GRASP MY ATTENTION IN A GOOD WAY. October 18, 2007

I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!

"Set it Off" is an action-packed, graphic, innovative motion picture about four women who are frustrated with aspects of their lives, and who need currency to stay afloat. Stony (Jada Pinkett-Smith) lost her parents in a car accident and opts to be a motherly figure in her brother's life. She wants her brother to go to college, but doesn't have the finances to send him, so she does something that is totally against her will to acquire the money, only to find out that he wasn't accepted to the university in the first place. Early into the movie, her brother is gunned down because he is mistaken for a criminal because they had the same letters imprinted on their heads. Cleo (Queen Latifah) is a seemingly naturally reckless individual. If you aren't a friend of hers or she doesn't know you personally, she doesn't mind hurting you to get what she wants. TeShawn (Kimberly Elise) is mildly retarded, so her friends make sure no one attempts to take advantage of her. She has a son. Since she cannot afford a babysitter for him, she brings him to work. While she is laboring, he drinks a household cleaner and is poisoned. Social workers intervene and take her son into custody because they feel she is unfit. Unless she can make better money, they will keep him in custody. Finally, there is Frankie (Vivica A. Fox.) Frankie was employed at a bank until the bank is robbed and she is accused of being surreptitiously involved in the robbery. Although in reality she had no involvement in the robbery, her supervisor opts to terminate her from her position. Since Frankie was once employed at a bank, she knows the procedures when they are robbed...which will make it that much more easy for she and her cohorts to "Set it Off." Queen Latifah and Kimberly Elise played their roles the best. Vivica was really good as well. But there were times were Jada was weak in her performance.



The four ladies plan a detailed scheme as to how they will rob banks. They use wigs, masks, and sunglasses to disguise themselves and guns for protection. They rob two banks successfully until the LAPD finally catch up to them and disaster strikes. Throughout the film, the women have the typical catfights that occur among women, but they always reconciled, which illustrated loyalty.

Stony gets involved with a fellow who works at a bank (nice touch), and when the women suggest they rob the bank he works at, she immediately dismisses the thought. Although she is against the thought, her friends outnumber her and she is forced to join them as they attempt to take on the bank he works at. He finds out soon enough, but it doesn't necessarily change his feelings about her. The only other relationship in the film is the lesbian courtship between Cleo and her girlfriend, Ursela.

Overall this movie is great for viewing. This subject matter has never really been touched and it was intriguing to see four WOMEN live a life of crime.

My few criticisms are as follows: Why would they go into the bank while they are still going over their plan, right in the middle of public? Someone could have easily been on to them, eavesdropped on their conversation, and their robbery would have been doomed before it began. Also, during one of their robberies, there were police right outside trying to take down a criminal, and they didn't even notice the mayhem going on right inside of the bank. Forgive me, I just wanted to provide food for thought.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see something cinematically different. As previously stated, the notion of four female bank robbers hasn't really been touched in the past. Get some popcorn and watch these ladies SET IT OFF.
September 2, 2007

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