SET IT OFF
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 11/6/96 (wide) Running Length: 2:00 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, profanity, sex, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifa, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood Director: F. Gary Gray Producers: Dale Pollock and Oren Koules Screenplay: Takashi Bufford and Kate Lanier Cinematography: Marc Reshovsky Music: Christopher Young U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema
SET IT OFF, which chronicles the attempts of four young black women to take control of their lives, may sound like it's treading a similar path to the one blazed by last year's tepid WAITING TO EXHALE, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In the first place, although SET IT OFF contains some dramatic elements, it is, first and foremost, an action/caper film. Secondly, all things considered, this is a much better picture.
If SET IT OFF owes a debt to recent films, it's more to DEAD PRESIDENTS and THELMA AND LOUISE than to WAITING TO EXHALE. The concept of four black action heroines makes for a welcome change in a genre that is dominated by: (a) rugged white males with a perpetual five o'clock shadow, (b) rugged white males who speak English with an accent, and (c) rugged white males with the acting ability of a fence post. There's a freshness and energy in the way director F. Gary Gray attacks this familiar material that keeps SET IT OFF entertaining, even during its weakest moments.
The film doesn't get off to a promising start. The first half- hour, which details the various characters' motives for becoming involved in a bank robbery, is unevenly scripted. There are a few too many contrivances and coincidences. Once the setup is complete, however, things shift into high gear. The remainder of the film, which includes several high-adrenaline action sequences and some slower, more dramatic moments, is smoothly-crafted. There are occasional missteps, such as an out-of-place GODFATHER parody, but, in general, SET IT OFF manages to rise above these.
Jada Pinkett (THE NUTTY PROFESSOR) is one of the crop of fine young actresses working today, and she deservedly gets more screen time than her co-stars. As Stony, she's the most sympathetic of the quartet, and the only one who comes close to having a well-rounded personality. The film opens with her prostituting herself to get the money for her younger brother's college tuition. Shortly thereafter, he is dead, the victim of an accidental police shooting. Stony is devastated, and her anger at the system makes her vulnerable to the seductive lure of easy money through a bank robbery.
Her accomplices in crime are her best friends. The four women, who have always been there to support one another, share not only a common history but the dream of one day escaping from the projects where they have lived their entire lives. The plan's mastermind is Frankie (Vivica Fox), an ex-bank employee who was fired when she reacted improperly during a hold-up. Tisean (Kimberly Elise) needs the money to keep her young son from becoming a ward of the State. And Cleo (Queen Latifa) wants in on the action so she can live the high life and buy nice clothes for her lesbian girlfriend. Together, after being kicked in the face once too often by society, these four don wigs, borrow some guns, walk into the South Los Angeles Bank, and take $12,000 in cash.
Pinkett is backed by a solid cast, and the chemistry between the performers helps us believe that there's a real friendship going on. Rap artist-turned-actress Queen Latifa brings a toughness to her role that recalls blaxploitation star Pam Grier. Vivica Fox shows a significantly harder edge than she did in this summer's blockbuster, INDEPENDENCE DAY. Newcomer Kimberly Elise is good at making her lower lip tremble. Also appearing are Blair Underwood as a banker who becomes romantically involved with Stony, and John C. McGinley as a surprisingly non-stereotypical L.A. police detective.
What sets this movie apart from the innumerable other entries into the action/caper genre is its social perspective. SET IT OFF doesn't preach, but you'd have to be blind not to recognize that there's a message here about the kind of desperation that can result from the familiar cycle of poverty, sexism, and racism. And, although the marketing for SET IT OFF is geared primarily towards African Americans, you don't have to be black to appreciate this effective, in-your-face style of film making.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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