Movie Overview

     The DVD presentation, “Set It Off” starts with one of the main characters, Frankie, working at a bank as a teller. The bank is then robbed at gunpoint by someone she lived in the Projects with. Because she was being held at gunpoint, Frankie did not follow proper procedures and was subsequently fired from the bank. To make matters worse, she is also questioned by the police regarding her failure to follow protocol and how she knew the robber. This scene should be noted as the turning point for Frankie’s character and one of the first times when the girls consider, but have not decided upon, robbing banks. It is then that the audience is introduced to Stony who is trying to get enough money to pay for her brother’s tuition at UCLA. The audience also meets another main character, Cleo, as well as TT who is struggling to support her young son. All four of these girls, at this point, work for Luthor’s cleaning service where they begin to consider robbing banks. 

     The initial robber, Darnell, appears to get away with his crime when Stony’s brother Stevie meets up with him. After following Darnell for a few days, the investigators mistakenly identify Stevie as Darnell and kill him in a gunfight. This event sparked a change in Stony’s life that would eventually motivate her to commit bank robbery. TT’s life also takes a negative turn when her baby is taken away by Child Protective Services after he accidentally drank bleach while she was working; a fate that only happened because she could not afford a babysitter. TT is understandably upset, and the girls, especially Cleo, are frustrated by the system that allowed this to happen. This is one of the most important scenes in the film both plot-wise and in establishing why the girls were ready to break the law; it is at this point that all four girls decide that they want to rob a bank. 

     As the first step in their robbery, the girls decide to perform reconnaissance at one of their local banks. While there, Stony meets a man whom she ends up forming a relationship with throughout the movie. The girls then agree to rob a different bank, but during the act, TT runs away and does not fulfill her part of the plan. After dividing their cut of the stolen money, TT included, most of the girls stay under the radar. However, Cleo spends most of her money on upgrades for her car and gifts for her girlfriend. The girls then decide to rob another bank. Although this robbery did not go as smoothly as the last one, it ended up being successful with a total of about 300,000 dollars being stolen. They decide to hide the money in a vent at the building that they clean, but a few days later they realize it has been stolen. The girls track down Luthor, the assumed robber, and start an altercation that leads to TT shooting Luthor to protect Cleo. 

     The investigators ask Cleo to come in for a lineup which she passes due to the witness being scared of her. Nonetheless, the girls decide that they need to get out of town, meaning they need to rob one last bank to fund their escape. Although the robbery starts out smoothly, the cops are alerted by a silent alarm and show up as the girls are leaving. TT ends up surrendering her gun during the standoff, but one of the cops shoots her anyway, sparking a gunfight. TT dies in the car on the way to the hospital while the other girls are then forced to escape in a car chase. Eventually, the girls split up with Cleo leading the cops away from Stony and Stevie. Cleo is shot after driving her car through the police blockade and then open firing on them. Stevie is able to get on a bus and eventually leaves town. From the bus, she sees Frankie get caught by the investigator who initially questioned her. Although he disarms and tells her how sorry he is for everything that has happened, she still gets shot when she attempts to run away. The investigator sees that Stony is escaping on the bus, but lets her leave anyway. In the end, Stony is able to start a new life away from the town that had caused her and her friends so much strife with the money from the final robbery. 

Environment & Important Scenes

     All four girls were disadvantaged when it came to the environment that they lived in. They lived in the Projects of Los Angeles, a disorganized and extremely urbanized area where crime was common. Many of the movie’s criminals frequented there, including Darnell and the man Cleo bought guns from. This area was physically abused with many of the buildings worn-down and defaced. As a whole, this environment did not allow for many growth opportunities for the girls and lacked the camaraderie that often prevents crime. For these reasons, growing up and living in this area played a role in the girls’ decision to commit bank robbery.

     The first major scene that occurred in the movie that increased the likelihood of a robbery taking place was when the investigator questioned Frankie after the initial bank robbery. Rather than being empathetic to her, the investigator assumed she was an accomplice to the crime due to her background. This caused Frankie to lose faith in the system and would eventually lead her to using her knowledge of banks to rob them with the other girls. Next, Stevie’s wrongful death at the hands of the police is another significant moment that led to the girls’ decision to commit bank robbery. As mentioned previously, the cops believed that Stevie was actually Darnell, and began shooting after mistakenly believing he had a weapon. This act led the girls, but especially Stony, to losing faith in the law enforcement system. Without this faith, they were all more likely to commit bank robbery. Finally, and most importantly, the scene where TT’s son is taken away by Child Protective Services significantly increased the likelihood that the girls would rob the bank. It was during this scene that TT realizes she will need money in order to get custody of her son back. This is also when Cleo reaches her tipping point of being frustrated with her and her friends’ circumstances, thus believing the only way forward is robbing the bank.