1992

by Mike McGranaghan

Nobody who was around at the time could ever forget seeing the Rodney King video. Watching police officers ruthlessly beat a Black man drove home the fact that society had not progressed in terms of racial issues as far as we would have liked to believe. When those same cops were found not guilty at trial, Los Angeles exploded into a series of riots. It was a reaction similar to the one portrayed in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, prompted not just by racial injustice but by a community that had grown fed up with not having its concerns listened to.

The thriller 1992 takes place during those riots. Tyrese Gibson stars as Mercer Bey, a parolee making every effort to walk the straight and narrow for the benefit of his teenage son Antoine (Christopher A’mmanuel). When the riots hit, he makes arrangements for them to stay inside the factory where he works, presuming it will be safe. However, father and son thieves Lowell (Ray Liotta) and Riggan (Scott Eastwood) are taking advantage of the chaos, breaking in to steal the platinum from the catalytic converters manufactured in the factory.

The L.A. riots are here simply to give 1992 an unearned sense of importance. It has nothing to say about the root causes of the turmoil, and it certainly has no interest in addressing racial issues. Lowell and Riggan are white, Mercer is Black. That’s as far as the movie goes in saying anything. If they’re meant to be metaphorical stand-ins for the police and rioters, it’s an inference we’re left to figure out on our own.

The true focus is on the predictable crime plot. There are multiple tense standoffs between Mercer and the thieves. Antoine of course gets dragged into the middle of it, his life jeopardized more than once. Guns are drawn as the men continually attempt to get the upper hand on each other. We’ve seen this all before. Director Ariel Vromen (Criminal) stages everything in a routine manner that fails to create the desired tension.

1992 has one saving grace – Ray Liotta. The late actor is powerfully menacing as Lowell. He commands the screen whenever he’s on it. His stunning work calls attention to how limited Tyrese Gibson is as a thespian. I’m not saying you root for the villain, but it’s no contest in terms of who’s more compelling to watch. Liotta shines in a film that otherwise uses a notable piece of 1990s history as a cheap gimmick for a generic crime story.

---