Why Set It Off is the most underrated action film of all-time

Set It Off features great storyline and subplots

One of the most compelling aspects of Set It Off  is the detail taken in not just telling the story, but accurately portraying the personality of each of the women involved. Each of the four primary characters is suffering through the realities of growing up in and residing in a tough Los Angeles neighborhood. They also have their own personal demons to wrestle in addition to the complicated environment they are forced to navigate.

One of the women is fired from her job because the bank she worked for is suspicious of her after learning she knew the perpetrators who robbed it. Another woman is dealing with the violent death of her brother, who she had a hand in raising after their parents died when they were young. One woman is trying to get her son back from Child Protective Services after being accused of putting him in harm’s way; her inability to get a babysitter when she needed to go to work was a contributing factor.

There’s also the woman who describes herself as a “hood rat” after coming to the conclusion she has no skills that anyone outside of the projects would be interested in. Audiences will become emotionally attached to these women, hoping they find the answers they are looking for.

The subplots are compelling, yet they are all intertwined and lead the four heroines to come to one conclusion: they must rob a bank if they are to ever get out of their circumstances. While this is not a logical solution to complex problems, desperate times call for desperate measures. Set It Off is a movie about fear, struggle, and desperation. Everyone who watches this film will find themselves relating to at least one of the main characters, and rooting for all of them.