Set It Off
Is this the most underrated heist movie ever?
Directed By: F. Gary Gray
Other Notable Films From Gray: Friday, Law Abiding Citizen, Straight Outta Compton
Starring: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise
Screenplay By: Takashi Bufford and Kate Lanier
Movie Synopsis: A group of friends team up to rob several banks.
Signature Line: “The only way we’re gonna see cash is if we take a bank.”
THE INTRODUCTION
An accounting of time, and people, and context
Set It Off, which stars Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah, and Kimberly Elise as lifelong friends who begin robbing banks after a series of injustices befall them, is a very influential, very important heist movie. As such, there will be many glowing things written about it in body of the essay. For the introduction, though, I’m doing something different.
What follows are eleven questions I asked one of my sisters recently. Because, as it were, she was involved in a real-life bank robbery one time. It took place while she was working as a teller at a small bank in Corpus Christi, Texas a little over a decade and a half ago. It’s the most interesting thing that has ever happened to anyone I know.
Was anyone else in the bank when the robbery happened? No. It was me and one other woman who was working there. The manager was gone for lunch. There weren’t any customers. It was a really slow bank.
Y’all didn’t have a security guard? We did, but he was split between different branches. He would spend a little time at each throughout the day. It wasn’t a good system. I remember thinking we were gonna get robbed if anyone ever noticed.
Did the bank robber have a weapon? Or was it one of those situations where he just handed you or the other teller a note demanding money? He had a gun. He walked in, started screaming at us to give him the money, and was waving the gun around. It happened just like it does in the movies.
What did he say? Did he shout, “Give me the fucking money!” or anything like that? It was a long time ago, so I don’t remember all of what he said, but I do remember him yelling “I’m not fucking playing!” when he pointed the gun at me. I remember that very vividly.
What were you thinking as the robbery was happening? I thought it was a joke at first. I thought it was someone pranking us. But he was serious.
What was he wearing? Did he have a cool mask or a wig or anything like that? He had a black ski mask, black gloves, and a black duffel bag. He was a very traditional bank robber.1
How much money did he get? I don’t know the exact amount. A couple thousand dollars. Banks don’t keep a lot of money in the drawers.
Did he ask to go to the vault? No. It was all really quick. He was there for a minute or two at the most.
Did you sneak a dye pack into the money as you were giving it to him? One of those ones that explodes ink everywhere. I don’t think we had those at our bank. I pressed the panic button, but that was basically it. They tell you if anyone comes in to rob the bank, just give them the money and let them leave.
What was the first thing you did as soon as he left? The woman I was with locked the door because that’s another thing they tell you: As soon as the robber leaves, you lock the door. When she did that, I called the manager. I don’t know why I called her first. I guess I was so thrown off by everything. She told me to call the cops.
Did the police ever catch the guy? Not that I know of.
Three years after the bank robbery, my sister left the financial industry to become a personal trainer. I’m glad she doesn’t work at a bank anymore.
THE VIEWING
A timestamped rewatch of Set It Off
1:10: Vivica A. Fox is here. She plays Frankie, one of the four friends at the center of Set It Off. Later on, she’ll become a bank robber. Right now, though, she is an ordinary, non-criminal citizen who works at a bank (that’s about to be robbed by a couple guys). I know that Kill Bill is the best movie Fox has ever been in, but this is the best overall role she’s ever had. She just gets to do a lot of really fun things in it. She gets shoot some guns, and she gets to yell some intimidating lines of dialogue, and she gets to participate in a high speed chase, and she even gets to have this Whitney Houston “I’m Every Woman” hairstyle.
1:53: …Aaaaaaaaaaaaand the opening robbery is on. You know how they have escape rooms where you and your friends gotta work together to find a way out? There should be robbery rooms, too. Like, it’s a building that looks like a bank, and you get to bust in and hold the place up with three of your friends. There can even be different packages you can buy, like a Dog Day Afternoon package (it becomes a hostage situation), or a Den of Thieves package (only one of y’all makes it out alive), or even an Argylle package (you thought you were gonna have fun but give up just 30 minutes into it because it sucks).
1:54: P.S. Jumping up on the counter and pointing your gun at someone is one of the coolest things you can do during a bank robbery.
1:55: P.P.S. The five coolest things you can do during a bank robbery:
The 5th place spot goes to yelling, “Everybody get on the fucking ground!”
The 4th place spot goes to yelling, “Don’t be a hero! We’re here for the bank’s money, not yours!”
The 3rd place spot goes to looking at your watch and then calling out how much time you have left to your fellow bank robbers.
