1992

1992 sets the stage for a confrontation between two flawed fathers and their sons in Los Angeles. Mercer works a blue collar job at a metalworking warehouse. Six months out of prison, he’s recently been given custody of his son, Antoine. Antoine’s resistance to Mercer’s attempts to build a relationship, and Mercer’s bravado and troubled past cause conflict between the two characters. Their relationship is at an impasse.

Meanwhile, Lowell and his sons, Riggin and Dennis, plot a heist on Mercer’s place of work but ultimately decide the security is too tight. They will need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Meanwhile, tensions in the city are running high. The jury in the trial of four police officers who assaulted Rodney King will give its verdict, with the whole city waiting with bated breath.

Mercer stops at a convenience store on his way to work, when two local gangbangers come in causing trouble. When Mercer intervenes, they hold him at gunpoint, only to be reprimanded by their leader who says Mercer was once a high ranking member of the gang and a member to be feared. They try to recruit him back into the gang, but he makes it clear he’s done with that life.

Later, the news of the verdicts sends the city into panic. Protests become aggressive. As one character on TV says, “The jury [told] the world that what they all saw… wasn’t a crime.” The protestors become agitated and soon become aggressive, throwing bottles at cars and looting property. Mercer and his coworkers are sent home from work early to be with their families, providing the perfect opportunity for Lowell and his crew to perform their heist.

Mercer is concerned for his son’s safety. He asks the security officer for permission to bring his son to the warehouse while they wait out the riots. The guard reluctantly agrees, and Mercer leaves to pick up Antoine. He arrives at the house to find that Antoine isn’t there and is instead outside joining the mob in the rioting and looting.

Mercer goes on a hunt for Antoine through the streets of the Crenshaw District. He once again is confronted with gang members trying to recruit him. They offer him a gun to protect himself. He turns down their offer and goes back searching for his son.

Mercery finally finds Antoine standing outside of a store that’s just been broken into, looking at all of the ensuing violence. After a reprimand, Mercer and Antoine get in the car and head to the metal shop. On the way, Mercer defends a couple from getting their car stolen and also has a racist experience from cops who stop his car. The stop heightens Antoine’s frustration with their current situation.

Concurrently, Lowell and his son, Riggin, commence their heist operation commence at the warehouse. A number of unexpected obstacles hinder their progress as they kill a security guard, and one of their crew members is injured.

When Mercer and Antoine finally arrive at the warehouse, Mercer finds the dead body of his friend waiting for him. Meanwhile, Antoine accidentally runs into Dennis, Lowell’s other son, and is taken hostage. Mercer realizes Antoine’s in danger. He sabotages the getaway vehicle and also takes out enemies one by one. Also, Mercer manages to capture Riggin, who explains how he hates his father. Riggin eventually decides to help Mercer get his own son back.

Lowell demands a hostage exchange but nearly kills Antoine. Mercer and Riggin spark a gunfight with Lowell’s crew. This leads to an emotional climax.

1992 is a decent movie that doesn’t quite know, however, what it wants to say. It feels like two movie were smushed together. The final result is a movie that isn’t great at being either one. The first half feels like a sociopolitical movie about a crucial moment in American history, but it never sinks its teeth into the nuances of this time. As a result, it comes across as a shallow, slightly politically correct examination of racial injustice, neglecting to deliver a complete thesis on the topic. The B-plot about the heist feels utterly disconnected from what’s happening on the street that it’s hard to remember both stories take place in the same movie. Ultimately, 1992 is a movie that doesn’t know what it wants to say and, sadly, is a worse, unsatisfying movie because of it.

That said, 1992 does have a strong redemptive, moral worldview. It repeatedly stresses Mercer’s repentance over his past actions. It is clear Mercer was angry and violent in his youth and now sees the same anger in his own son. Mercer does everything in his power to steer his son away from the path that he followed. Conversely, the destructive relationship between Lowell and his son, Riggin, ultimately leads to a negative outcome, showing how the consequences of a father’s failures can irreparably hurt the son.

1992 also contains excessive foul language and strong, intense, sometimes bloody, action violence.