Set It Off (1996)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers (WGA):

Takashi Bufford (story)
Takashi Bufford (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Deal with this. The only breaks you get are the ones you take.

Plot:

Four Black women, all of whom have suffered for lack of money and at the hands of the majority, undertake to rob banks...

Plot Keywords:

Robbery | Shot In The Head | Human Relationship | Lesbianism | Tattoo

Awards:

5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Lida 'Stony' Newsom (as Jada Pinkett)
Queen Latifah	...	Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims
Vivica A. Fox	...	Francesca 'Frankie' Sutton
Kimberly Elise	...	Tisean 'T.T.' Williams
John C. McGinley	...	Detective Strode
Blair Underwood	...	Keith Weston
Vincent Baum	...	Jajuan
Van Baum	...	Jajuan
Chaz Lamar Shepherd	...	Stevie Newsom (as Chaz Lamar Shepard)
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Luther (as Thom Byrd)
Charles Robinson	...	Nate Andrews (as Charlie Robinson)
Ella Joyce	...	Detective Waller
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Ms. Wells
Samantha MacLachlan	...	Ursula
Samuel Monroe Jr.	...	Lorenz

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence, pervasive language, some sex and drug use.; Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sex and drug use. (director's cut)

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:X | UK:15 (new rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | USA:R (certificate #45339) (director's cut) | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Germany:16 (w) | Ireland:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:R(A)

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Kimberly Elise was discovered by producer Dale Pollock at a restaurant where she waitressed at the start of her career.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Numerous errors in gun visual/sound effects and operation. During the final bank shootout, Stony's gun runs out of ammunition (evidenced by the slide locking back). However, she continues to pull the trigger generating a "click click" sound. Modern semi-automatic pistols such as the Glock Stony is using do not return the trigger to a ready-to-fire position until the slide closes and another round is chambered. Therefore, it is impossible to generate several audible clicks with an empty weapon.

Quotes:

Cleo: Countin all this money is harder than working for Luther! HA HA HA!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

I'll Be Missing You

this movie shows us the possibility of what we might do

This movie gives us a graphic insight into the possibility of what people might do under certain circumstances and situations. These young ladies' misfortunes in life have driven them to do something that otherwise would not have entered their minds: robbing a bank. Their participation in this criminal activity is a crying-out against the evils of their society and environment. In other words, they are saying "because of what you did to me...this is how I will respond". Anyone who has seen this film honestly knows that what they're doing is just as morally wrong as what has happened to each of them, but, for some deep-seated reason, we find ourselves rooting for them - even hoping that they get away with it. Each character reveals a problematic area in our working society: unfair employment and termination practices, inadequate childcare options, hindrances and distractions of the ghetto and other social plights and dilemmas.

We may not agree with what these young ladies are doing but somehow we understand. (please see this movie...)