Set It Off
Encyclopedia
Set It Off is a 1996
action
and crime film
directed by F. Gary Gray
, and stars Jada Pinkett
, Queen Latifah
, Vivica A. Fox
and Kimberly Elise
(in her theatrical debut), as four close friends in Los Angeles, California
who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery
. They decide to do so for different reasons, although all four want better for themselves and their families.
Stoney is devastated and furious at the loss of her brother Stevie because he was wrongfully gunned down by police after they mistakenly identify him as one of the surviving bank robbers,because the got the same tatoot. This prompts Cleo to suggest that they rob banks to forget about all of their troubles. Frankie joins in, but T.T. is against the idea until her toddler son is taken away by social workers after he accidentally ingests disinfectant while the girls were working.
The girls rob banks while wearing fake wigs and sunglasses. Meanwhile, Officer Strode has figured out the women’s troubles while watching a video of one of the robberies and suspect that they are the robbers. By then, Stoney falls in love with Keith Weston, one of the robbers a well-paid, handsome banker, and considers staying in Los Angeles with him.
After making a considerable amount of money from robbing their second bank, they stash the money at one of their worksites. When they show up for work another day, they discover that their boss, Luther, has gotten out of the janitorial business. They fear he discovered their money, and their fears are confirmed when they see it's gone. They track down Luther at a motel with a woman, and T.T. fatally shoots Luther as he holds a gun on Cleoand his girlfriend was there and ceol told her if she sinth she was gone to kill her,she took her I.D.But she still told.
With their money gone, the girls rob another bank, which happens to be the same bank that Keith works at. Before they make it out of the bank, Strode and his partner arrive and order them to drop their weapons, but as they do, a bank security guard shoots Tisean. Stoney and Cleo open fire at the security guard and carry Tisean to the getaway car with Frankie behind the wheel. As Tisean dies in Stoney’s arms en route to a hospital, the three women decide to split up.
Cleo is the second of the girls to be killed after the police catch up to her. The police catch up to Frankie and order her to surrender. Suddenly, Frankie pulls a gun on Strode and tries to run away, but is shot and killed by an officer. Stoney, in the meantime, boards a bus heading to Mexico, but she painfully witnesses the killing of Frankie. Strode spots Stoney on the bus, but lets her go free considering she already has been through enough with her brother and now her friends perishing. She mourns the deaths of their friends and her brother in Mexico while managing to get away with the stolen money. After cutting her hair in a small motel where she has taken refuge, she calls Keith But didnt say anything While she doesn't tell him where she is, she assures him that she is all right and thanks him. The movie ends with her driving through the mountains.
1997 Independent Spirit Awards
1997 NAACP Image Awards
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
and crime film
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
directed by F. Gary Gray
F. Gary Gray
Felix Gary Gray is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Gray began his career in 1992 with his music video for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day." The video, a literal adaptation of the lyrics, was critically well received. He would go on to direct subsequent videos for Ice Cube,...
, and stars Jada Pinkett
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured...
, Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
and Kimberly Elise
Kimberly Elise
Kimberly Elise is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the films Set It Off, Beloved, John Q, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and For Colored Girls...
(in her theatrical debut), as four close friends in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
. They decide to do so for different reasons, although all four want better for themselves and their families.
Plot summary
Francesca "Frankie" Sutton has lost her job as a bank teller after the bank she worked at is robbed. While being interrogated by Detective Strode, she reveals that she’s familiar with one of the robbers. Her boss fires her because he is uneasy about the fact that they know each other. Frankie reluctantly gets a job at a janitorial company. Her friends Lita "Stoney" Newsome, Cleopatra "Cleo",Queen Latifa Sims, and Tisean "T.T." Williams work there as well.Stoney is devastated and furious at the loss of her brother Stevie because he was wrongfully gunned down by police after they mistakenly identify him as one of the surviving bank robbers,because the got the same tatoot. This prompts Cleo to suggest that they rob banks to forget about all of their troubles. Frankie joins in, but T.T. is against the idea until her toddler son is taken away by social workers after he accidentally ingests disinfectant while the girls were working.
The girls rob banks while wearing fake wigs and sunglasses. Meanwhile, Officer Strode has figured out the women’s troubles while watching a video of one of the robberies and suspect that they are the robbers. By then, Stoney falls in love with Keith Weston, one of the robbers a well-paid, handsome banker, and considers staying in Los Angeles with him.
After making a considerable amount of money from robbing their second bank, they stash the money at one of their worksites. When they show up for work another day, they discover that their boss, Luther, has gotten out of the janitorial business. They fear he discovered their money, and their fears are confirmed when they see it's gone. They track down Luther at a motel with a woman, and T.T. fatally shoots Luther as he holds a gun on Cleoand his girlfriend was there and ceol told her if she sinth she was gone to kill her,she took her I.D.But she still told.
With their money gone, the girls rob another bank, which happens to be the same bank that Keith works at. Before they make it out of the bank, Strode and his partner arrive and order them to drop their weapons, but as they do, a bank security guard shoots Tisean. Stoney and Cleo open fire at the security guard and carry Tisean to the getaway car with Frankie behind the wheel. As Tisean dies in Stoney’s arms en route to a hospital, the three women decide to split up.
Cleo is the second of the girls to be killed after the police catch up to her. The police catch up to Frankie and order her to surrender. Suddenly, Frankie pulls a gun on Strode and tries to run away, but is shot and killed by an officer. Stoney, in the meantime, boards a bus heading to Mexico, but she painfully witnesses the killing of Frankie. Strode spots Stoney on the bus, but lets her go free considering she already has been through enough with her brother and now her friends perishing. She mourns the deaths of their friends and her brother in Mexico while managing to get away with the stolen money. After cutting her hair in a small motel where she has taken refuge, she calls Keith But didnt say anything While she doesn't tell him where she is, she assures him that she is all right and thanks him. The movie ends with her driving through the mountains.
Cast
- Jada PinkettJada Pinkett SmithJada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, producer, director, author, singer-songwriter, and businesswoman. She began her career in 1990, when she made a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom True Colors. She starred in A Different World, produced by Bill Cosby, and she featured...
— Lita 'Stoney' Newsome - Queen LatifahQueen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
— Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims - Vivica A. FoxVivica A. FoxVivica Anjanetta Fox is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her roles in the films Independence Day, Set It Off, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall In Love,Kill Bill and Juwanna Mann....
— Francesca 'Frankie' Sutton - Kimberly EliseKimberly EliseKimberly Elise is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the films Set It Off, Beloved, John Q, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and For Colored Girls...
— Tisean 'T.T.' Williams - John C. McGinleyJohn C. McGinleyJohn Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
— Detective Strode - Ella JoyceElla JoyceElla Joyce is an American actress.Born Cherron Hoye in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Joyce graduated from the Performing Arts Curriculum at Cass Technical High School, and went on to attend the Dramatic Arts program at Eastern Michigan University...
- Detective Waller - Blair UnderwoodBlair UnderwoodBlair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
— Keith Weston - Van and Vincent Baum - Jajuan Williams
- Charles RobinsonCharles RobinsonCharles Robinson may refer to:*Charles Robinson , English politician, MP for Canterbury*Charles Robinson , physician and politician in Ontario, Canada*Charles Robinson , British book illustrator...
— Nate Andrews - Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
— Black Sam - WCWC (rapper)William L. Calhoun Jr. , better known by his stage name WC , is an American rapper. He was born in Texas, but moved to South Central Los Angeles at an early age. He originally was a rapper in the group Low Profile, and later formed his group WC and the Maad Circle, which also included fellow rapper...
- Darnell - Charles WalkerCharles WalkerCharles David "Charlie" Walker is an American engineer who flew on three Space Shuttle missions in 1984 and 1985 as a Payload Specialist for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation...
— Captain Fredricks - Mark Thompson (TV)Mark Thompson (TV)Mark Thompson is a two-time Emmy award winner for writing, hosting and producing specials for the Fox Television stations.-Career as television host:...
— TV Anchor - George FisherGeorge FisherGeorge Fisher may refer to:*George Fisher , American politician*Rev George Fisher British arctic scientist*George Fisher , Serbian born Mexican and American citizen*George P...
— Cop - F. Gary GrayF. Gary GrayFelix Gary Gray is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Gray began his career in 1992 with his music video for Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day." The video, a literal adaptation of the lyrics, was critically well received. He would go on to direct subsequent videos for Ice Cube,...
— Guy driving low-rider - Geoff Callan — Nigel
- Samantha MacLachlan — Ursula
- Natalie Desselle-ReidNatalie Desselle-ReidNatalie Desselle-Reid is an American actress.Desselle-Reid was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, the daughter of Thelma and Paul Desselle. She graduated from Peabody Magnet High School and attended Grambling State University...
- Tanika - Chaz Lamar ShepherdChaz Lamar ShepherdChaz Lamar Shepard is an American actor and singer-songwriter. Shepard is known for his regular role as John Hamilton on 7th Heaven and his recurring role as Trey Wiggs on The Game. In addition, he starred as Curtis Taylor, Jr...
- Stevie Newsome - Thomas Jefferson ByrdThomas Jefferson ByrdThomas Jefferson Byrd is an American actor. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.-Filmography:* Clockers * Girl 6 * Get on the Bus * Set It Off * Touch Me * He Got Game...
- Luther (as Thom Byrd) - Kayla Hickson
- Samuel Monroe Jr.Samuel Monroe Jr.Samuel Monroe, Jr. is an American actor.Monroe has appeared as a guest actor on television shows; however, he was also featured in the films Menace II Society, Set It Off, Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood, Tales from the Hood, Detroit G Code, and The Players...
- Lorenz
Soundtrack
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||
| 1996 | Set It Off Set It Off (soundtrack) Set It Off: Music From the New Line Cinema Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 crime film, Set It Off. It was released on September 24, 1996 by Eastwest Records and featured production from several of hip hop and R&B's top producers such as Organized Noize, DJ U-Neek and DJ Rectangle...
|
4 | 3 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Platinum |
Awards and nominations
1997 Acapulco Black Film FestivalAmerican Black Film Festival
The American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...
- Best Director — F. Gary Gray (won)
1997 Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Supporting Female — Queen Latifah (nominated)
1997 NAACP Image Awards
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture — Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smitth (nominated)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture — Blair Underwood (nominated)