Set It Off (1996)

Four Black women, all of whom have suffered for lack of money and at the hands of the majority, undertake to rob banks. While initially successful, a policeman who was involved in shooting ... See full summary »

Director:

F. Gary Gray

Writers:

Takashi Bufford (story), Takashi Bufford (screenplay),

Stars:

Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Lida 'Stony' Newsom (as Jada Pinkett)
Queen Latifah	...	Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims
Vivica A. Fox	...	Francesca 'Frankie' Sutton
Kimberly Elise	...	Tisean 'T.T.' Williams
John C. McGinley	...	Detective Strode
Blair Underwood	...	Keith Weston
Vincent Baum	...	Jajuan
Van Baum	...	Jajuan
Chaz Lamar Shepherd	...	Stevie Newsom (as Chaz Lamar Shepard)
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Luther (as Thom Byrd)
Charles Robinson	...	Nate Andrews (as Charlie Robinson)
Ella Joyce	...	Detective Waller
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Ms. Wells
Samantha MacLachlan	...	Ursula
Samuel Monroe Jr.	...	Lorenz

Storyline

Four Black women, all of whom have suffered for lack of money and at the hands of the majority, undertake to rob banks. While initially successful, a policeman who was involved in shooting one of the women's brothers is on their trail. As the women add to the loot, their tastes and interests begin to change and their suspicions of each other increase on the way to a climactic robbery.

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Plot Keywords:

money | bank | robbery | tragedy | machine gun | 

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Taglines:

Deal with this. The only breaks you get are the ones you take.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic violence, pervasive language, some sex and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nagy dobás

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,807,451 (USA) (8 November 1996)

Gross:

$36,049,108 (USA) (28 February 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Peak Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kimberly Elise was discovered by producer Dale Pollock at a restaurant where she waitressed at the start of her career.

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Goofs

While having dinner with Keith, Stony says she's never been to New York. Later when the women meet together it's said that Stony is from the Bronx.

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Quotes

Cleo: [as she punches luther in the hotel] CLIMB-OUT THE PUSSY LUTHER!

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Connections

Referenced in NewsRadio: Complaint Box (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Love Theme From The Godfather"
Composed by Nino Rota
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

User Reviews

By Any Means Necessary!!

Great Movie. Gripping tale of 4 women who turn to robbing banks to make it out of ghetto life. The 4, played by Jada Pinkett, (Not married to Will Smith at time of filming) Vivica A. Fox, Dana Owens (Better know as Queen Latifa) and newcomer at the time, Kimberly Elise all work legally until they figure that crime will pay them more than honest work. Blair Underwood is excellent as the love interest for Stoney (Pinkett) with his Harvard education mixed with a street knowledge. Pace of the movie is good, and it all flows very well. Excellent movie. Worth renting from Blockbuster.