1992 Blu-ray Review
“1992” could have been so much more.
Penned by Sascha Penn and Ariel Vromen, “1992” takes place on the day of the Rodney King trial verdict (April 29, 1992). The unrest of the not guilty verdict is the backdrop of this crime-thriller, but the story itself revolves around 2 sets of families. Mercer is an ex-con who is trying to raise his teen son Antoine while working at the Pluton Metals factory. When the riots break out, Mercer decides to bring his son to the factory to ensure their safety. That doesn’t exactly go as planned when Lowell and Riggin (a father and son team of criminals who don’t exactly get along) plot a heist at the Pluton Metals factory but are initially unsure if they can pull it off. When the riots occur, they see it as the perfect cover for a heist and decide to go for it. As you may have surmised, this is when the 2 families/storylines collide leading to a tense conflict.
“1992” starts off promising enough in its exploration of family, race, police brutality, and class during the ‘92 L.A. riot, but that real life event becomes a mere backdrop that is largely sidestepped in the second half of the story as the movie turns into a routine heist thriller. It’s a shame because this could have been a deeper movie. It’s even more frustrating in that the heist element is hampered by a slow pace and a small scale. Those creative choices cut back on the tension that this thriller should and could have had. The bland direction by Ariel Vromen doesn’t exactly help either. Visually it looks like a direct to home video film that lacks a cinematic style.
The film does boast some notable performances here. Tyrese Gibson is known for a lot of dopey comedic roles (and some downright irritating ones), but the actor gets a chance to shine in a serious drama as Mercer. This is easily the best performance of his career. Scott Eastwood does a solid job as Riggin. Ray Liotta always crushes as bad guys and his performance as Lowell is certainly noteworthy. This is also Liotta’s last theatrically released movie.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? Mediocre visual style aside, this hi-def transfer delivers.
Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? The Atmos track is effective (especially during action sequences).
Extras:
* Theatrical trailer
* Commentary by director/co-writer Ariel Vromen and producer T’Shaun Barrett.
* 3 deleted scenes
* “A South Central Story”- A fascinating extra that presents historical context, cast/crew interviews (including a very honest Tyrese interview), discussions about the production and the strive for authenticity and more.
* “2 Families, 2 Worlds: Making 1992”- A 25 minute making of featurette that contains interviews, film clips, story and character discussions, etc.
* Digital copy and DVD copy
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