Set It Off
| Set It Off | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | F. Gary Gray |
| Produced by | F. Gary Gray Dale Pollock |
| Written by | Takashi Bufford (story/screenplay) Kate Lanier (screenplay) |
| Starring | Jada Pinkett Queen Latifah Vivica A. Fox Kimberly Elise Blair Underwood Dr. Dre |
| Music by | Christopher Young |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | November 6, 1996 |
| Running time | 123 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9,000,000 (estimate) [1] |
| Box office | $41,590,886 |
Set It Off is a 1996 action and crime film directed by F. Gary Gray, and stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise (in her theatrical debut), as four close friends in Los Angeles, California who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery. They decide to do so for different reasons, although all four want better for themselves and their families.
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[edit] Plot summary
Francesca "Frankie" Sutton has lost her job as a bank teller after the bank she worked at is robbed. While being interrogated by Detective Strode, she reveals that she’s familiar with one of the robbers. Her boss fires her because he is uneasy about the fact that they know each other and that Frankie failed to follow the bank's procedure when being robbed. Frankie reluctantly gets a job at a janitorial company. Her friends Lita "Stoney" Newsome, Cleopatra "Cleo" Sims, and Tisean "T.T." Williams work there as well.
Stoney is devastated and furious at the loss of her brother Stevie because he was wrongfully gunned down by police after they mistakenly identify him as one of the surviving bank robbers. The police made the mistake because Stevie had unwittingly shaved a symbol onto his hair, which was similar to that of one of the bank robbers. This prompts Cleo to suggest that they rob a bank in order to improve their situation of poverty. Frankie joins in, but T.T. is against the idea until her toddler son is taken away by social workers after he accidentally ingests disinfectant while the girls were working.
The girls rob banks while wearing fake wigs and sunglasses. Meanwhile, Officer Strode has figured out the women’s troubles while watching a video of one of the robberies and suspect that they are the robbers. By then, Stoney falls in love with Keith Weston, a well-paid, handsome banker, and considers staying in Los Angeles with him.
After making a considerable amount of money from robbing their second bank, they stash the money in the air shaft at one of their work sites. When they show up for work another day, they discover that their boss, Luther, has gotten out of the janitorial business. They fear he discovered their money, and their fears are confirmed when they see it's gone. They track down Luther at a motel with a woman, and T.T. fatally shoots Luther as he holds a gun on Cleo and his girlfriend. Cleo then takes the girlfriend's drivers license to prevent her from telling the police that they shot Luther.
With their money gone, the girls rob another bank, which happens to be the same bank where Keith works. Before they make it out of the bank, Strode and his partner arrive and order them to drop their weapons, but as they do, a bank security guard shoots Tisean. Stoney and Cleo open fire at the security guard and carry Tisean to the getaway car with Frankie behind the wheel. As Tisean dies in Stoney’s arms en route to a hospital, the three women decide to split up.
Cleo is the second of the girls to be killed after the police catch up to her. The police catch up to Frankie and order her to surrender. Suddenly, Frankie pulls a gun on Strode and tries to run away, but is shot and killed by an officer. Stoney, in the meantime, boards a bus heading to Mexico, but she painfully witnesses the killing of Frankie. Strode spots Stoney on the bus, but lets her go free considering she already has been through enough with her brother and now her friends perishing. She mourns the deaths of their friends and her brother in Mexico while managing to get away with the stolen money. After cutting her hair in a small motel where she has taken refuge, she calls Keith but didnt say anything. While she doesn't tell him where she is, she assures him that she is all right and thanks him. The movie ends with her driving through the mountains.
[edit] Cast
- Jada Pinkett — Lita 'Stoney' Newsome
- Queen Latifah — Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims
- Vivica A. Fox — Francesca 'Frankie' Sutton
- Kimberly Elise — Tisean 'T.T.' Williams
- John C. McGinley — Detective Strode
- Ella Joyce - Detective Waller
- Blair Underwood — Keith Weston
- Van and Vincent Baum - Jajuan Williams
- Charles Robinson — Nate Andrews
- Dr. Dre — Black Sam
- WC - Darnell
- Charles Walker — Captain Fredricks
- Mark Thompson (TV) — TV Anchor
- George Fisher — Cop
- F. Gary Gray — Guy driving low-rider
- Geoff Callan — Nigel
- Samantha MacLachlan — Ursula
- Natalie Desselle-Reid - Tanika
- Chaz Lamar Shepherd - Stevie Newsome
- Thomas Jefferson Byrd - Luther (as Thom Byrd)
- Kayla Hickson
- Samuel Monroe Jr. - Lorenz
[edit] Soundtrack
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | |||
| 1996 | Set It Off
|
4 | 3 |
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[edit] Awards and nominations
1997 Acapulco Black Film Festival
- Best Director — F. Gary Gray (won)
1997 Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Supporting Female — Queen Latifah (nominated)
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture — Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smitth (nominated)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture — Blair Underwood (nominated)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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