Set It Off


3.5/4

Starring: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood

Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Pervasive Language, Some Sex and Drug Use

“Set It Off” is one of those few extraordinary action movies that actually makes you care about the characters and what happens to them.  Most action movies, even the best ones, rely on the charisma of their stars and special effects to get the viewer involved.  Not here.  We get to know and care about Stoney, Cleo, Frankie, and Tisean, and that’s why this film is so involving.

Four friends from the LA projects all have a beef with the system:  Stoney (Smith) is desperate for a way to pay for her brother Stevie’s (Chaz Lamar Sheperd) college tuition, Frankie (Fox) was fired from her job after she acted improperly during a bank robbery, Tisean (Elise in a sparkling debut) needs money to care for her son Jajuan while Cleo merely likes the adrenaline rush and wants money to spend on herself and her girl toy Ursula (Samantha MacLachlan).  Unable to find a way out of their desperate, dead-end lives, the four turn to bank robbery.  As they find out, once is not enough, and greed and temptation are hard to resist.

The performances are first rate.  Jada Pinkett Smith is one of the most underrated actresses around.  She’s given dynamite performances in every role that she has been given, but for some reason, she’s not on the A-list.  Stoney is perhaps the most level-headed of the bunch, which makes her an effective anchor for the four characters who commit bank robberies.  She’s also reserved, which makes winning her over a challenge for Keith (Underwood), a banker who has his eye on her.  Smith has great chemistry with all her co-stars, and it’s a performance that should have led to more things.  As Cleo, Queen Latifah gives her best performance as the trigger-happy big girl who has a fondness for big guns, pot and Ursula.  And as tough and feisty as she is, there’s something deeply human about her as well.  Vivica A. Fox shines as Frankie; she’s been burned, and she wants revenge.  Money is a plus, but her main motivation is to screw the fat cats who screwed her.  Kimberly Elise makes a stunning debut as the shy, meek Tisean.  T.T., as her friends call her, doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but she’s caught between a rock and a hard place.  Unless she can pay for a babysitter, then Social Services will take her son away.  Blair Underwood and John C. McGinley provide effective support; they both escape the stereotypes that one might assume would come with the characters that they play.

In addition to being an action movie with four well-developed and well-acted protagonists, the film also has a point to make: the American Dream is not easy to come by, and for some, it’s damn near impossible.  These four women just want what we all do: they want to be able to afford everything they need, but the deck is stacked against them.  Keith is an effective counterweight to show just how hard it is for them.  Keith is a rich guy with a college education and a nice job, but try as he might, he can’t understand how different his life is from Stoney’s.

Although the majority of the cast is black, this film isn’t really about race.  It’s there beneath the surface, but it’s rarely, if ever, openly addressed.  Gender isn’t really an issue, either.  The four leads may be female, but this is not a chick flick.  It’s loud, violent and at times bloody, but it’s never manipulative; the emotions it generates are earned.  There is also a fair amount of humor in the film, including an inventive parody of “The Godfather.”

It’s not perfect.  There are a few contrivances here and there (at least one of which is so obvious it’s almost laughable), and some of what happens doesn’t hold up well upon reflection (this is the case for most action flicks and thrillers), and the musical score doesn’t always support the action effectively.

Still, this is definitely a movie worth checking out.  You won’t be disappointed.

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