Set It Off
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!
  • Set It Off
  • Set it Off
  • "Queen Latifah was awesome"
  • These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation
Set It Off
Starring: Van Baum , Vincent Baum , Thomas Jefferson Byrd , Natalie Desselle , and Dr. Dre
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

CrimeCrime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
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Desselle, NatalieDesselle, Natalie | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Dre,  Dr.Dre, Dr. | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Elise, KimberlyElise, Kimberly | ( E ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Fox, Vivica AFox, Vivica A | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Horsford, Anna MariaHorsford, Anna Maria | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Joyce, EllaJoyce, Ella | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Latifah, QueenLatifah, Queen | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
McGinley, John CMcGinley, John C | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Pinkett, JadaPinkett, Jada | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Underwood, BlairUnderwood, Blair | ( U ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Gray, F GaryGray, F Gary | ( G ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:
  1. The Players Club The Players Club
  2. Dead Presidents Dead Presidents
  3. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
  4. Menace II Society Menace II Society
  5. Jason's Lyric Jason's Lyric

ASIN: 6305505799
Release Date: 1999-09-14

Product Description

Four women take the law into their own hands and try to get some pay-back by robbing the city's biggest banks in this riveting action drama starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood. Directed by Gary Gray.

Amazon.com

Even when it misses a dramatic opportunity in favor of generic action, Set It Off benefits from a sharp understanding of its well-drawn central characters. They're a quartet of young African American women in Los Angeles (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise), all struggling against a system that seems designed to prevent them from realizing their dreams. The movie establishes their plight with credible attention to emotional detail, making their decision to rob banks believable enough to give the ensuing plot its inevitably tragic momentum. Cowritten by the screenwriter of What's Love Got to Do With It?, the film conveys genuine compassion for its characters, and the ensemble cast is uniformly strong--especially Queen Latifah as a brash lesbian whose fate is as certain as her forceful attitude.

Set It Off expresses a real sense that these women have been close friends for years, and that gives the film additional impact, even when their transition to crime and violence feels somewhat forced and superficial. A romantic subplot involving Pinkett and a social-climbing banker (Blair Underwood) is too contrived to be convincing, and director F. Gary Gray (Friday) tries too hard to combine hard-hitting action with social relevance (a weakness shared by Gray's following film, The Negotiator). Still, Set It Off effectively avoids passing judgment; its emotional complexity transcends simple notions of right and wrong, injecting vitality--and a kind of renegade integrity--into the traditions of a familiar plot. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!.......2007-09-02

"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.

5 out of 5 stars Set It Off.......2007-05-20

This is one of the best movies I have ever saw in my life!

5 out of 5 stars Set it Off.......2007-02-25

I have never seen such powerful female characters before, each one had their own dynamic personality and tragic reason for entering a life of crime by robbing banks. It is bascially non-stop action and excitement but this film still makes room for a little romance between Pinket and Underwood.

5 out of 5 stars "Queen Latifah was awesome".......2006-07-09

A very depressing movie that showed how poverty caused 4 women to live a lifestyle that was doomed from the start.

All of the actors were great but "Queen Latifah stole the show" with her portrayal of a "hard core woman" especially at the end.

This movie again, to me was very depressing because at the end I wish all of the women would have made it. Even though what they did was wrong, they paid with their lives and to me that was very sad. At least Jada Pinkett made it but even she went through alot.

4 out of 5 stars These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation.......2006-06-24

Although the film is heavily stylized in gangland culture it's still very accessible. You could put this story into any situation and it would still be believable and credible. Yet there's one thing that puts "Set It Off" into a league of it's own, and that's the four central performances.

Jada Pinkett makes a great leading lady as Stony, full of power and hope. Queen Latifah makes you fall in love with Cleo, definitely the most humorous character of the quartet but also very troubled. The scene where she tells Stony and Frankie to get out of the getaway car is heart-wrenching. Vivica .A. Fox should be a Hollywood superstar by now, her portrayal of Frankie is mesmerizing. Finally, Kimberly Elise makes a moving debut performance as Tisean, the most timid of the group, yet also the most surprising. Underrated John C. McGinty was quite effective in these supporting roles. Blair Underwood, who I like, was sort of wasted as reverse eye candy. The love story sub plot was a bit if a distraction, only in a minor way. But at the core of this film was the bond between these ladies, all driven to rob banks for various reasons.

From Frankie's troubles, to Stony's hardships, there is plenty in this movie to keep your mind in motion. If you want a change of pace "Set it Off" is great movie to see. The writers did such a good job of weaving in the background of the characters and letting the movie play out, the quality of this film is quite impressive and I'm quite sure that you will be too! One that I'll never forget.
Set It Off!
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Set It Off!
    Starring: Set It Off
    Manufacturer: Circle King
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    GeneralGeneral | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video
    DVDs Under $7.49DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
    Similar Items:
    1. Dead Presidents Dead Presidents

    ASIN: B000PKG6VM
    Release Date: 2007-05-15
    Set It Off [Region 2]
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!
    • Set It Off
    • Set it Off
    • "Queen Latifah was awesome"
    • These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation
    Set It Off [Region 2]

    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

    ThrillersThrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
    DVDs Under $9.99DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
    ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
    Similar Items:
    1. The Players Club The Players Club
    2. Dead Presidents Dead Presidents
    3. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
    4. Menace II Society Menace II Society
    5. Jason's Lyric Jason's Lyric

    ASIN: B00004D35Z

    Amazon.com

    Even when it misses a dramatic opportunity in favor of generic action, Set It Off benefits from a sharp understanding of its well-drawn central characters. They're a quartet of young African American women in Los Angeles (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise), all struggling against a system that seems designed to prevent them from realizing their dreams. The movie establishes their plight with credible attention to emotional detail, making their decision to rob banks believable enough to give the ensuing plot its inevitably tragic momentum. Cowritten by the screenwriter of What's Love Got to Do With It?, the film conveys genuine compassion for its characters, and the ensemble cast is uniformly strong--especially Queen Latifah as a brash lesbian whose fate is as certain as her forceful attitude.

    Set It Off expresses a real sense that these women have been close friends for years, and that gives the film additional impact, even when their transition to crime and violence feels somewhat forced and superficial. A romantic subplot involving Pinkett and a social-climbing banker (Blair Underwood) is too contrived to be convincing, and director F. Gary Gray (Friday) tries too hard to combine hard-hitting action with social relevance (a weakness shared by Gray's following film, The Negotiator). Still, Set It Off effectively avoids passing judgment; its emotional complexity transcends simple notions of right and wrong, injecting vitality--and a kind of renegade integrity--into the traditions of a familiar plot. --Jeff Shannon

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!.......2007-09-02

    "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.

    5 out of 5 stars Set It Off.......2007-05-20

    This is one of the best movies I have ever saw in my life!

    5 out of 5 stars Set it Off.......2007-02-25

    I have never seen such powerful female characters before, each one had their own dynamic personality and tragic reason for entering a life of crime by robbing banks. It is bascially non-stop action and excitement but this film still makes room for a little romance between Pinket and Underwood.

    5 out of 5 stars "Queen Latifah was awesome".......2006-07-09

    A very depressing movie that showed how poverty caused 4 women to live a lifestyle that was doomed from the start.

    All of the actors were great but "Queen Latifah stole the show" with her portrayal of a "hard core woman" especially at the end.

    This movie again, to me was very depressing because at the end I wish all of the women would have made it. Even though what they did was wrong, they paid with their lives and to me that was very sad. At least Jada Pinkett made it but even she went through alot.

    4 out of 5 stars These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation.......2006-06-24

    Although the film is heavily stylized in gangland culture it's still very accessible. You could put this story into any situation and it would still be believable and credible. Yet there's one thing that puts "Set It Off" into a league of it's own, and that's the four central performances.

    Jada Pinkett makes a great leading lady as Stony, full of power and hope. Queen Latifah makes you fall in love with Cleo, definitely the most humorous character of the quartet but also very troubled. The scene where she tells Stony and Frankie to get out of the getaway car is heart-wrenching. Vivica .A. Fox should be a Hollywood superstar by now, her portrayal of Frankie is mesmerizing. Finally, Kimberly Elise makes a moving debut performance as Tisean, the most timid of the group, yet also the most surprising. Underrated John C. McGinty was quite effective in these supporting roles. Blair Underwood, who I like, was sort of wasted as reverse eye candy. The love story sub plot was a bit if a distraction, only in a minor way. But at the core of this film was the bond between these ladies, all driven to rob banks for various reasons.

    From Frankie's troubles, to Stony's hardships, there is plenty in this movie to keep your mind in motion. If you want a change of pace "Set it Off" is great movie to see. The writers did such a good job of weaving in the background of the characters and letting the movie play out, the quality of this film is quite impressive and I'm quite sure that you will be too! One that I'll never forget.
    Bones / Set It Off (Two-Pack)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Bones / Set It Off (Two-Pack)
      Starring: Warner 2pak
      Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
      ( B )( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
      ASIN: B0002WZS5I
      Release Date: 2004-11-16

      Description

      Bones - In this hip and stylish horror film, notorious street hustler Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg) is mistakenly brought back from the dead and seeks revenge on those who killed him over twenty years ago. Set it Off - Four women take the law into their own hands and try to get some payback by robbing the city's biggest banks in this riveting action drama starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood. Directed by Gary Gray.
      Bones/Set It Off
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Bones/Set It Off
        Starring: Snoop Dogg
        Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
        ProductGroup: DVD
        Binding: DVD

        GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
        ( B )( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
        ASIN: B0002WZS58
        Release Date: 2004-11-16

        Description

        Bones - In this hip and stylish horror film, notorious street hustler Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg) is mistakenly brought back from the dead and seeks revenge on those who killed him over twenty years ago. Set it Off - Four women take the law into their own hands and try to get some payback by robbing the city's biggest banks in this riveting action drama starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood. Directed by Gary Gray.
        Set It Off/Fallen
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Set It Off/Fallen
          Starring: Tara Carnes , Gabriel Casseus , Wendy Cutler , Embeth Davidtz , and Tony Michael Donnelly
          Director: Gregory Hoblit
          Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD

          GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
          Denzel WashingtonDenzel Washington | Action Stars | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
          GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
          Casseus, GabrielCasseus, Gabriel | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Davidtz, EmbethDavidtz, Embeth | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Gandolfini, JamesGandolfini, James | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Goodman, JohnGoodman, John | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Joy, RobertJoy, Robert | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Koteas, EliasKoteas, Elias | ( K ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Medrano, FrankMedrano, Frank | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Munro, RonnMunro, Ronn | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Sutherland, DonaldSutherland, Donald | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Turturro, AidaTurturro, Aida | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Washington, DenzelWashington, Denzel | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Wilson, RenoWilson, Reno | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
          Hoblit, GregoryHoblit, Gregory | ( H ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
          Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
          DramaDrama | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
          All TitlesAll Titles | Warner Home Video | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
          ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
          ASIN: B0000E6FQN
          Release Date: 2003-11-18
          Bones/Set It Off
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Bones/Set It Off
            Starring: Warner 2pak
            Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
            ProductGroup: DVD
            Binding: DVD

            GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
            GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
            ( B )( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
            ASIN: B0002WZS5S
            Release Date: 2004-11-16

            Description

            Bones - In this hip and stylish horror film, notorious street hustler Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg) is mistakenly brought back from the dead and seeks revenge on those who killed him over twenty years ago. Set it Off - Four women take the law into their own hands and try to get some payback by robbing the city's biggest banks in this riveting action drama starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise and Blair Underwood. Directed by Gary Gray.
            Set It Off [Region 2]
            Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
            • I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!
            • Set It Off
            • Set it Off
            • "Queen Latifah was awesome"
            • These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation
            Set It Off [Region 2]

            ProductGroup: DVD
            Binding: DVD

            GermanGerman | By Original Language | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
            ThrillersThrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video
            ( S )( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
            GermanGerman | By Original Language | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
            Similar Items:
            1. The Players Club The Players Club
            2. Dead Presidents Dead Presidents
            3. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
            4. Menace II Society Menace II Society
            5. Jason's Lyric Jason's Lyric

            ASIN: B00004RYH9

            Amazon.com

            Even when it misses a dramatic opportunity in favor of generic action, Set It Off benefits from a sharp understanding of its well-drawn central characters. They're a quartet of young African American women in Los Angeles (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise), all struggling against a system that seems designed to prevent them from realizing their dreams. The movie establishes their plight with credible attention to emotional detail, making their decision to rob banks believable enough to give the ensuing plot its inevitably tragic momentum. Cowritten by the screenwriter of What's Love Got to Do With It?, the film conveys genuine compassion for its characters, and the ensemble cast is uniformly strong--especially Queen Latifah as a brash lesbian whose fate is as certain as her forceful attitude.

            Set It Off expresses a real sense that these women have been close friends for years, and that gives the film additional impact, even when their transition to crime and violence feels somewhat forced and superficial. A romantic subplot involving Pinkett and a social-climbing banker (Blair Underwood) is too contrived to be convincing, and director F. Gary Gray (Friday) tries too hard to combine hard-hitting action with social relevance (a weakness shared by Gray's following film, The Negotiator). Still, Set It Off effectively avoids passing judgment; its emotional complexity transcends simple notions of right and wrong, injecting vitality--and a kind of renegade integrity--into the traditions of a familiar plot. --Jeff Shannon

            Customer Reviews:

            4 out of 5 stars I'm like Halle in Monster's Ball, Jada in SET IT OFF!.......2007-09-02

            "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.

            5 out of 5 stars Set It Off.......2007-05-20

            This is one of the best movies I have ever saw in my life!

            5 out of 5 stars Set it Off.......2007-02-25

            I have never seen such powerful female characters before, each one had their own dynamic personality and tragic reason for entering a life of crime by robbing banks. It is bascially non-stop action and excitement but this film still makes room for a little romance between Pinket and Underwood.

            5 out of 5 stars "Queen Latifah was awesome".......2006-07-09

            A very depressing movie that showed how poverty caused 4 women to live a lifestyle that was doomed from the start.

            All of the actors were great but "Queen Latifah stole the show" with her portrayal of a "hard core woman" especially at the end.

            This movie again, to me was very depressing because at the end I wish all of the women would have made it. Even though what they did was wrong, they paid with their lives and to me that was very sad. At least Jada Pinkett made it but even she went through alot.

            4 out of 5 stars These four outrageous woman share one thing in common..... their desperation.......2006-06-24

            Although the film is heavily stylized in gangland culture it's still very accessible. You could put this story into any situation and it would still be believable and credible. Yet there's one thing that puts "Set It Off" into a league of it's own, and that's the four central performances.

            Jada Pinkett makes a great leading lady as Stony, full of power and hope. Queen Latifah makes you fall in love with Cleo, definitely the most humorous character of the quartet but also very troubled. The scene where she tells Stony and Frankie to get out of the getaway car is heart-wrenching. Vivica .A. Fox should be a Hollywood superstar by now, her portrayal of Frankie is mesmerizing. Finally, Kimberly Elise makes a moving debut performance as Tisean, the most timid of the group, yet also the most surprising. Underrated John C. McGinty was quite effective in these supporting roles. Blair Underwood, who I like, was sort of wasted as reverse eye candy. The love story sub plot was a bit if a distraction, only in a minor way. But at the core of this film was the bond between these ladies, all driven to rob banks for various reasons.

            From Frankie's troubles, to Stony's hardships, there is plenty in this movie to keep your mind in motion. If you want a change of pace "Set it Off" is great movie to see. The writers did such a good job of weaving in the background of the characters and letting the movie play out, the quality of this film is quite impressive and I'm quite sure that you will be too! One that I'll never forget.

            DVD:

            1. Six Days, Seven Nights
            2. Six-String Samurai
            3. Sneakers (Collector's Edition)
            4. Space Camp
            5. Spartacus - Criterion Collection
            6. Spy Kids 3 - Game Over (Two-Disc Collector's Series)
            7. Streets of Fire
            8. Superman - Doomsday (DC Universe Animated Original Movie)
            9. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
            10. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day [Blu-ray]

            DVD

            DVD