Set It Off

A simple cops and robbers flick, only with four women in the lead. It's quite ahead of its time if you look at it like that, but at the same time, the film is little more than a basic action/crime flick. That's not too big of a bother though, as genre filler it does its thing rather well and even though the film is a tad long, it never felt like it outstayed its welcome.

Four young black women are strapped for cash. No matter how hard they try, society doesn't give them the proper chances they deserve, and so they have to get by on scraps. One of them works for a bank. When she gets fired for no good reason, the four come up with a plan to rob a couple of banks.

The performances are decent, the presentation is slick but pleasant and the plot is generic, but the female angle never feels forced and so it ends up adding something valuable. Two hours is a little long, but the pacing is fine and some well-spread-out action scenes keep the blood pumping. Solid.