Four tight-knit friends in 1996 Los Angeles decide to get even with a world that seems intent on trying to keep them down.  

Directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Kate Lanier and Takashi Bufford, Set It Off stands in stark contrast to typical masculine heist films through its focus on the personal narratives and experiences of its four main characters — best friends since childhood Stoney (Jada Pinkett Smith), Frankie (Vivica A. Fox), Cleo (Queen Latifah), and Tisean (Kimberly Elise).  

The film entertains at every turn while compassionately exploring the intersections of race, class, and gender through its characters and their circumstances. The women experience a series of setbacks while trying to improve the living situations of themselves and their loved ones and are motivated by a desire to live outside of the structural effects of racism, sexism, and classism which have effectively blocked any movement toward economic stability. Desperate and with little left to lose they decide to start robbing banks with hopes that the money will enable them to escape. But while each heist offers a bigger payday they also bring more problems and complications.