1992 (2024) * *

 

Directed by:  Ariel Vromen

Starring:  Tyrese Gibson, Ray Liotta, Scott Eastwood, Dylan Arnold, Michael Beasley, Christopher Ammanuel

1992 captures the atmosphere of the Los Angeles Rodney King riots but then it dissolves into a formulaic crime drama where the hero dispatches the villains like Rambo.  Mercer (Gibson) is a recently released felon trying to go the straight and narrow while raising his son Antoine (Ammanuel) and working at a catalytic converter plant targeted by thieves led by Bigby (Liotta).  Once the riots ensue, Bigby and company decide to break in and steal a safe's worth of platinum because the plant owners send everyone home for the day.

Mercer, after finding his son among the rioters, plans to hide out at the plant until the event calms down, but soon has to protect Antoine against the thieves.  Bigby is a cold-hearted SOB, but his son Riggin (Eastwood), who resents his father, has a soft spot in his heart for the African-American community.  His dialogue stating his support sounds more like a modern-day take than one that might be uttered in 1992.  This means Riggin can be Redeemed, even though he's trying to steal a shitload of platinum. 

Tyrese Gibson brings intensity as the moral center of 1992, but soon he transforms into an unstoppable action hero thwarting Bigby and his goons.  We know he can handle a gun as an ex-gang member, but realism flies out the window as 1992 goes into action movie mode.  The riots soon feel like a distant memory by the movie's conclusion.  1992 marks the final film appearance of the late Ray Liotta, who plays slimy villains with the best of them.  He will be missed.  The movie itself, not so much.