Set It Off

Four women in a battered inner city carry a shared burden of poverty and limited options. Stony, Cleo, Frankie, and Tisean strike out on their own terms, deciding that if the world won’t open doors, they will open their own. They pool their resources to pull off bank heists, hoping to rewrite the rules that have kept them down. The plan grows from late night conversations, cramped apartments, and a deep hunger to protect their families, not thrill the streets. As danger escalates, trust is tested and loyalties shift, forcing hard choices that haunt friendships and blur lines between right and wrong. The film blends grit with brisk action and bold style, and it never shies from the cost of desperation.

Released in 1996 and directed by F. Gary Gray, Set It Off comes from an original screenplay by Takashi Bufford and Kate Lanier. The film stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A Fox, and Kimberly Elise, delivering an ensemble.

The film grossed approximately 41,590,886 worldwide against a 9 million budget, performing solidly for its genre and era and signaling a commercial win for a female led crime drama. Its success helped establish Gray as a rising action driven director.

Set It Off is widely remembered for centering four Black women as the engines of its story, combining street grit with stylish heist energy. The film helped elevate female ensemble thrillers, remains cited for its performances and cultural stance, influencing heist dramas and discussions of women led thrillers in cinema.

Critics praised the performances of Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A Fox, and Kimberly Elise, and the director's handling of economic desperation, friendship, loyalty, and moral ambiguity without heavy handed preaching. The movie blends drama and action while scrutinizing how systemic inequality can push ordinary people toward drastic choices.