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

I can't watch this movie when I am down, because it will make me think life just ain't worth living. It has a very very depressing ending. But overall, the narrative was excellent. Each one of the girls had a motive, whether it was directly indicated or not. Black intellects trash this movie because they see it as trapping African Americans in the Boyz N the Hood genre (which was also an excellent film). But they fail to see there are so many stories within the inner cities of African Americans. It is not just about robbing banks, gangs, or drugs, it is out survival, loyalty and frienship. Which I think mainstream America really does not understand and why I think so many black women go to jail for protecting their men involved in illegal activities.

Not to veer off the subject, but set it off is about loyalty and true friendship, (just like waiting to exhale, just a different neighborhood) with a fresh twist. Hats off to F. Gary Gray!


It's da bomb   June 8, 2000
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Ah man when I first saw this movie I watched it like 3 times the first night. I mean it's da bomb I mean you know how they always have the movies where the men do the wild and bad things and the women are just these stupid girls who sleep with them to get money, but gary layed the rules down in this movie,and showed people that men aren't the only ones who can be bad women can do anything men can do probably even better. You see how good these girls were I mean they was just doing they thang, but it was sad at the end, because spooney(jada pinkett) was the only one left and she was rememberin what they did earlier in the movie while they were robbing banks, and everybody got killed at the end except for her. That was soo sad but I do agree her relationship with blair underwood was a one night stand and it did kind of drag the movie but that was the only mistake otherwise this movie is off the hook if you haven't seen it yet you betta run to the video store and get it now because you missing out on a lot.


The Best Movie I've ever seen   October 22, 2007
M. Erilus (West Park, FL USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

A great movie with a great cast, this movie shows what can happen when you push a black woman to her last straw. From the beginning to the end this movie shows how easily one can be profiled as a criminal just by the company she keeps. Like how one of the characters were surrounded and killed by the SWAT team just because he had the same hair cut as one of the bank robbers. And he was a soon-to-be college student. There is a lot of emotions shown in this movie when the it takes you into each characters personal life and thier reasons for robbing the bank. Don't get me wrong there are no reasons for committing a crime like a bank robbery but their stories are compelling. The ending is sad, even though there was a bright side to the ending. It kind've teaches you a lesson about friendship and material things.

The acting was fantastic, you almost felt like the characters were real individuals(of course that is the point of acting). Queen, Jada, Kimberly, and Vivic really make this movie come to life. I would watch this movie all day everyday, just because it's so great.


"Queen Latifah was awesome"   July 8, 2006
Murphy E. Smith
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

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.