The Black Nerds: SET IT OFF (1996) – The Director’s Cut

In May, we turn our focus to another milestone in his filmography—one just as electrifying, but even more daring in its storytelling: Set It Off (1996).

Join The Black Nerds for a special screening of this high-stakes crime thriller, a gripping story of survival, sisterhood, and defiance.

Starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise, Set It Off follows four women—Cleo, Frankie, Tisean, and Stony—who after facing systemic injustice, economic hardship, and personal loss turn to robbing banks as a last resort. What starts as a desperate bid for survival, soon becomes a dangerous thrill, testing their loyalty, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between them. But as the stakes rise, so do the consequences, forcing them to confront the cost of defying a system designed to keep them powerless.

But Set It Off is more than a heist film—it’s a statement. The heist itself is a metaphor, a bold critique of race, gender, and class, centering the lives of Black women too often sidelined in mainstream narratives. In a genre dominated by male protagonists, this film flips the script, placing four unapologetically bold Black women at the heart of the action. They are not just reacting to circumstance; they are seizing control, demanding their place in a world that seeks to overwrite them.

In many ways, Set It Off carries the DNA of modern Blaxploitation. Much like Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), it presents Black women as fearless, resourceful, and unwilling to accept their oppression without a fight. The film embraces the action-packed, anti-establishment spirit of Blaxploitation while offering a deeper emotional core and social critique. Where earlier Blaxploitation heroines used hyper-stylized violence and revenge as tools of empowerment, Set It Off modernizes the blueprint, grounding its characters in a raw and deeply human struggle against systemic barriers.

More than a film, Set It Off is a landmark in Black cinema—an essential work that challenges how we understand identity, resistance, and autonomy.

Catch Set It Off with The Black Nerds at Revue Cinema on May 14th! Tickets available at Revuecinema.ca.

–Faduma Gure

Cast/Crew Info
Director: F. Gary Gray | Cast: Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, Blair Underwood