This film is not flawless. The characters make extremely vapid, insipid decisions during many of the plot's key twists. It still qualifies, I suppose, as far above a waste of time. Actually, my favorite part of the entire film was the opening bank robbery scene. Vivica Fox's dead on portrayal and the sheer terror of it make it vividly memorable. The film then takes us on an interesting journey (albeit the film is on a downward spiral from the start). The key story elements are unique, thought-provoking ones, the script is neither. I had a hard time caring one iota for either Jada Pinkett or Queen Latifah. Both respectable actresses in their own right, but conveying nothing substantial here. Therefore, the core of the film lies in the very ample hands of the aforementioned Vivica Fox and newcomer Kimberly Elise (dauntingly superb in this year's "Beloved") and they do excellent jobs of carrying the film forward. The beautifully constructed bank robbery scenes also help quite a bit. By the time it's all through, you realize you knew exactly where it was going. A nice finale (and I don't mean the final scenes involving Jada Pinkett escaping to Mexico, which were extremely useless and indulgent), though, helps to cover up the fact that the screenplay (complete with cliches about cops, the ghetto, etc.) was simply and mechanically going through the motions.
Review of Set It Off
