Memorable, crazy movie

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I originally saw this film when it was first released, almost 20 years ago. I really enjoyed the movie a lot then, so I decided to re-watch it and see if I felt the same way.Please don't let my critique deter you from watching this movie as I still think it's worth a watch. This film is labeled an "action" which is misleading. Action fans will be disappointed. It is appropriately labeled a "crime" and a "drama" and it has some comical/light hearted moments as well as a side romance. The second half of the movie picks up in action and the last 20 minutes is pretty intense.The film opens with a bang, drawing the audience in immediately. Which is always a nice start. It slows down for the first half of the movie as we are introduced to 4 African American women who are friends with each other from their neighborhood, and the circumstances/crisis of each of their lives. Early on it felt a little cliché and simplistic. I had not noticed that the first viewing in 1996.What redeems this movie considerably is the performances of the actresses, and a unique storyline with some twists and surprises in the plot.The choreography/setting/camera use/sound/lighting/editing all appear realistic and seamlessly well done. The Setting could of been more open/obvious with their neighborhood as the "feel" of the community and the economic struggle all around them was too minimal. It could of really added to the backdrop of what these women were going thru in their circle. The diverse styles of music (score/soundtrack) was nice,and was appropriate to each scene.The pace. A half hour into the film, all major characters have been introduced and we get an idea of the direction it's going. By this time, besides the opening scene, 2 more pivotal events occur and a side romance blossoms. Acting was considerably well done despite the occasional simplistic and clichéd lines. (And at the end, a few things that weren't realistic and didn't make sense) However I was still able to look past the very few flaws (The film is, after all, over 20 years old) and just enjoy the journey. I especially thought Jada P. Smith and Queen Latifah were exceptional. And I noticed that this time around more the I did the first. Just a side note. When Stony and Keith are at a restaurant on their first date he says "It's black only, I like that." I am unsure what that is implying, and specifically what it was supposed to add to the story. I suppose if the roles were reversed and a white man had said that, accusations of racism would fly.I still enjoyed this film a lot. And would recommend it to people who wont be dis satisfied of an action labeled film, that is truly not really action packed. The story is about friendship, loyalty, greed, social inequality, despair and loss.

I watched this film a long time ago (aprox 10 years or so) and liked it then. I remembered it the other day and decided to watch it again. The second time around was not pleasant. The acting is 'so,so', the plot is illogical, unreasonable and predictable.The acting...I'm sure it wasn't a stretch for those actresses to play those characters. The plot...there's no way in hell those women would have gotten away with the first robbery much less the 2nd. (side note: Why did TT not realise that even if she came up with a load of money for her court date they would ask where she got it and she would have no logical answer! Ding, Ding...we have a crook!). It horribly stereotyped black women in saying basically that the only way black women can 'beat the system' or obtain a large amount of money was to steal it and not use their intelligence or other resources. It plays too much on sympathy b/c all of them die in the end (bar Jada) but it's not sad (you're thinking 'They were so stupid; they deserve to die). You just don't really care about the characters unless you're a shallow person.I can't believe this film rates over a 5.

Set It Off is an explosive drama about four young black women, who are best friends. Living in the Los Angeles ghetto, each of them struggles with economic and emotional hardships. All of them suffer deeply, due to injustices perpetrated against them by their employers, trigger-happy cops, and the welfare bureaucracy. Fed-up with how life has knocked them around, and desperate to escape the ghetto, the four friends decide to resort to robbing banks together.This film is very fast-paced, with gripping suspense throughout the course of the movie. There's scarcely a dull moment. This movie is overflowing with tire-screeching car chases, blazing gunfire, and volatile interactions between the characters. The breath-taking action sequences really draw you in to the precarious world, of the criminal quartet. It's good that Hollywood finally decided to make a film, that has African-American female characters who make such a deep impact. They're just as rough, vulgar, and determined to change their lives for the better, as any of the male characters are. They're deadly serious about being willing to risk their lives, to take up criminal activities. The women in the film, don't depend on men to determine their course of action. They know that it's up to them alone, to work together to accomplish their bank heists.The four actresses who played the main characters, all give strong performances. Especially Queen Latifah as the hardened butch lesbian, Cleo Simms. She really makes the viewer believe that Cleo can fearlessly handle just about anything, that she's up against. Jada Pinkett also gives a compelling performance as Stoney. Pinkett shows an amazing emotional range, and is able to convey the contradictory moods of Stoney with ease. Vivica Fox as Frankie, is vivid in her role, but not quite as charismatic as either Queen Latifah, or Jada Pinkett. Kimberley Elise as the desperate single mother, Tisean, gives a heartrending performance.This film crackles with a heady intensity, that's rare in films with women as the main characters. These sistahs prove that they are forces to be reckoned with, as they fight for their dreams in a male dominated world. This cutting-edge action film, delivers jolt-after-jolt of exciting entertainment.

I saw this movie probably when i was very young. I think it was on cable when i saw it so so many parts are cut out that it's really not like watching the whole movie.First of all let me say that this movie is one of my absolute favorites. i hadn't seen this movie for a couple of years so when i was flipping through the channels and saw the title it sounded familiar so i figured i would watch it. Some parts had me laughing my head off and others had me scared. Like when Stevie is leaving Lorenz's apartment and they think he is Lorenz I was hugging my pillow so hard! Then at the end when none of them want to rob another bank but T.T. needs it for her court date and Stony wants to get the hell out of that town i knew something bad was gonna happen.At the bank everything seems fine but then they set off the silent alarm and the cops come in. They try to reason with them but then the security cop come is shooting and fatally wounding one (i'm not gonna tell u who and ruin the ending) it turns to total chaos and a high speed chase resulting in two more deaths.In the end only one girl is left with all the money that she doesn't even really want ne more and no friends because they were all killed. However i just wanna say one more thing. None of them went out without a fight. i think that is a great show of courage, granted it is their own fault for robbing banks but the way they went out showed so much bravery and courage it had me crying for at lest a half an hour.People should so watch this movie!!!!!