“1992,” directed by Ariel Vromen, is a film that attempts to weave a heist thriller into the explosive backdrop of the Rodney King verdict and the subsequent Los Angeles riots. With a cast led by Tyrese Gibson and the late Ray Liotta, the movie aims to deliver both action and social commentary. However, while the film’s premise is promising, it ultimately falls short of its potential, struggling to balance its genre elements with the emotional weight of its setting.
Plot Overview: Two Families, Two Conflicts
Set on April 29, 1992, the day the Rodney King verdict was announced, “1992” centers on two families whose paths cross in a night of violence and chaos. Tyrese Gibson plays Mercer, a recently released ex-convict trying to protect his teenage son Antoine (Christopher Ammanuel) from the surrounding turmoil. Their fragile peace is shattered when they inadvertently stumble upon a heist led by Lowell (Ray Liotta) and his son Riggin (Scott Eastwood), who plan to rob the plant where Mercer works.
The film’s narrative is built around the contrasting father-son relationships of Mercer and Antoine, and Lowell and Riggin. While the former pair’s relationship is explored with some depth, the latter’s is disappointingly underdeveloped, leaving the audience craving more context and emotional engagement.
The Father-Son Dynamic: A Glimpse of Potential
The relationship between Mercer and Antoine is the film’s emotional core. Mercer, a man trying to leave his violent past behind, is determined to steer his son away from the path that led to his own downfall. Antoine, on the other hand, is filled with anger and a desire for revenge, emotions that bubble to the surface as the night unfolds. Gibson’s portrayal of a man torn between his love for his son and the violent impulses he’s trying to suppress is compelling, and the tension between father and son provides some of the film’s most gripping moments.
However, this dynamic is often overshadowed by the film’s insistence on adhering to familiar action-thriller tropes. The dialogue is heavy-handed, and the scenarios that arise—such as a nearly disastrous police roadblock—lack the subtlety needed to fully explore the complexities of the father-son bond.
The Weak Link: Lowell and Riggin’s Unexplored Tension
In contrast to Mercer and Antoine’s relationship, the film fails to flesh out the tension between Lowell and Riggin. Riggin’s desire to break free from his father’s influence and take his sensitive younger brother away from a life of crime is a potentially rich narrative thread that goes mostly unexplored. The lack of screen time between Liotta and Eastwood’s characters leaves their conflict feeling shallow and unearned. Liotta’s portrayal of Lowell is menacing but one-dimensional, and without more scenes to explore their relationship, the emotional impact of their storyline is significantly diminished.
Action and Pacing: A Sluggish Execution
As the two families finally collide, the film shifts gears into a survival thriller. Unfortunately, this is where “1992” begins to lose its momentum. The action sequences, which should be the film’s climax, are surprisingly lackluster. The fight for survival between Mercer and Antoine and Lowell’s crew lacks the suspense and intensity needed to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The pacing slows down considerably, and the final act feels disjointed, as if the action was hastily thrown together without much consideration for narrative coherence.
Visual and Auditory Choices: A Mismatched Aesthetic
Visually, “1992” struggles to integrate its genre elements with its historical setting. The film’s use of archival footage from the Los Angeles riots is clumsily handled, often feeling like an afterthought rather than a cohesive part of the narrative. Vromen’s decision to intersperse the footage with the film’s action scenes feels jarring, and it’s unclear whether the intent was to create a documentary-like effect or simply to remind the audience of the real-world events that inspired the film.
The film’s score, composed of syncopated jazz music, feels equally out of place. The music’s precision contrasts sharply with the film’s gritty and chaotic atmosphere, creating a disconnect that further detracts from the overall experience.
Conclusion: A Film That Could Have Been So Much More
“1992” is a film with its heart in the right place, but its execution leaves much to be desired. While there are moments of genuine tension and emotion, particularly in the relationship between Mercer and Antoine, these are often undermined by a reliance on worn-out genre conventions and underdeveloped character dynamics. The film’s mishandling of its action sequences and its mismatched aesthetic choices further weaken its impact.
In the end, “1992” is a missed opportunity to explore the human drama at the heart of one of America’s most tumultuous moments. While it’s difficult to entirely dismiss the film, especially given its timely subject matter and Liotta’s final performance, it ultimately fails to deliver the powerful narrative it sets out to tell.