Name: Retro Film Review: Set It Off (1996)
Item: Set It Off
Rating: 60
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

Exploration of harsh social realities usually doesn't mix well with the action film plots. There are very few film makers that could make this combination work. One of them was F. Gary Gray who directed 1996 action film Set It Off.

The plot, based on the script by Takashi Buford and Kate Lanier, deals with four women who grew up in Los Angeles black ghetto. The most successful of them all is Francesca "Frankie" Sutton (played by Vivica Fox), who earns her living as a bank teller. One day the bank just happens to be robbed by one of her old ghetto acquaintances and the management's suspicion is enough for her to lose that job. She is forced to take the job of janitor and join three of her old friends, each having their own problems – Cleopatra "Cleo" Slims (played by Queen Latifah) can't support her lesbian lover; Tisean "T.T." Williams (played by Kimberly Elise) is in danger of losing her child to welfare services while Lida "Stony" Newsom (played by Jada Pinkett) still can't get over her brother being accidentally shot by LAPD. Frankie comes to an idea to use her inside knowledge of banking system to stage a robbery and thus, at least temporarily, solve her and her friends' financial problems. Women agree and go with the plan; the money, however, isn't enough and more robberies are needed. While scouting one of the banks, Stony meets young, charming and wealthy bank manager Keith Weston (played by Blair Underwood).

While many Hollywood films in early and mid 1990s dealt with the problems of black Americans, Set It Off was one of the few to deal with the harsh realities experienced by black women - underprivileged group that, apart from racism, had to suffer from sexism, something coming from the both sides of the racial divide. The film suggests that the crime is understandable, if not justified, reaction of the underprivileged groups for the humiliation and abuse still suffered at the hands of oppressive state and more privileged social groups - whites and males. Unfortunately, F. Gary Gray undermines any attempt to seriously tackle those difficult issues with unnecessary and completely unbelievable romance between Stony and Keith. This misguided fairytale subplot, however, doesn't stand in the way of well-directed and quite exciting action scenes. The acting is also superb, especially in the case of Vivica Fox and John C. McGinley, who plays LAPD detective on the robbers' trail. Set It Off, despite its flaws, represents good way to spend two hours in front of screen.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on January 13th 2004)