A Recap of The Movie ‘1992’
Written by Michael Lee
*All Media used in this article is courtesy of Lionsgate
Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate
Video: Cast & Crew Interviews from The ‘1992’ Los Angeles Movie Premiere
Interviews from the movie premiere of ‘1992’ featuring sound Bites of Tyrese Gibson, Scott Eastwood, Executive Producer Snoop Dogg and Director Ariel Vromen ● Location: Regal LA Live on August 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California ● Video Courtesy of Lionsgate
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Official Trailer: ‘1992’ (2024)
Video via Lionsgate
Plot Synopsis: ‘1992’
The majority of the film is set on April 29, 1992, the day of the Rodney King verdict. Rodney King, a Black man, was severely beaten and assaulted by the LAPD, all of which is captured on video. The cops in charge of committing this heinous crime are on trial, with the verdict set to be announced imminently.
We meet Mercer (Tyrese Gibson), a former gang member, who is six months out of his prison sentence. He is the sole caretaker of his son, Antoine, who resents him for not being around during a majority of his life. Those who raised him, namely his mother and grandmother, have passed away, leaving Antoine alone with his father, who is more of a stranger. Mercer, who is hell-bent on his redemption, is working hard as a maintenance worker at a nearby plant. The Rodney King verdict is set to be announced and Mercer is imploring Antoine to come home right after school, as ‘things might get a little crazy out there today’. It is clear that Mercer is dedicated to trying to turn Antoine away from his own footsteps, trying to step up to be a worthwhile father.
Photo Credit: Vadislav © 2023 TRIDENT FILMS - FZCO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Antoine, though, doesn’t respect his father’s wishes. The Rodney King verdict is announced, the court does not find the LAPD at fault, which erupts in a violent protest spanning the entire city. Mercer believes Antoine is out on the town and ends up searching for him, eventually catching up to him throwing a brick through a store shop’s front window. On the way home, the two are subjected to a racist traffic stop by the LAPD, though barely getting out with their lives intact. It is obvious that the racial tension in Los Angeles is higher than ever.
On the other side of town, we meet Lowell Bigby and his sons Riggin and Dennis. Lowell is a crime-lord, and Riggin and Lowell share a similar contemptuous relationship as Mercer and Antoine. Riggin is obviously tired of being a crime lord’s son, remarking that they’re just a bunch of petty criminals. He wants to take his sensitive brother, Dennis, away from their father, never having to contend with his heartlessness (or violence) again. But not now, as Riggin proposes the family participate in his get-rich-quick scheme, proposing that Lowell’s gang rob the plant where Mercer works of over ten million dollars worth of platinum, since the LAPD’s attention is focused elsewhere on the riots.
Photo Credit: Vadislav © 2023 TRIDENT FILMS - FZCO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Lowell, Riggin, and Dennis, along with a few men from Lowell’s crew, are halfway through their platinum heist when Antoine and Mercer arrive, attempting to hide out from the violence of the riots. Lowell wishes for there to be no survivors to his crimes, so begins a cat and mouse chase through the factory as Mercer and Antoine fight for their lives. Lowell and his family eventually corners the two, separates them, and questions each of them about their intentions and why they interrupted their heist. Mercer escapes, apprehends Riggin, and tries to hatch an escape plan, but Antoine is still in Lowell’s grasp. Mercer then moves to mess with parts from Lowell’s escape vans, and Lowell keeps threatening Antoine’s life, trying to get Mercer to stop.
Photo Credit: Vadislav © 2023 TRIDENT FILMS - FZCO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Mercer and one Lowell’s henchman battle on the factory rooftop, embroiled in hand to hand combat until the henchman pulls a gun, but Mercer is faster and shoots him dead. Mercer informs Riggin about his father’s current actions, but Riggin doesn’t believe him. Dennis and Antoine, three levels down, talk to one another, trying to make sense of their father’s actions. Dennis asks where Riggin is, but Antoine doesn’t seem to know. Lowell tries to apprehendMercer by making Antoine plead over the intercom, asking for the van router and his son in exchange for Antoine. The four of them meet on the ground floor, trying to barter for one another's assets, with Mercer promising to leave and let them resume their heist. The disagreement ends in a shoot-out, with Dennis getting shot in the stomach.
Mercer, Antoine, Riggin and Dennis escape in the van with the platinum and Lowell follows them in a car as a chase ensues. Dennis is bleeding badly, on the brink of death, while Lowell gains further ground. Riggin is shooting at his father, manages to hit him, but Lowell shoots back and Riggin is badly hurt. Mercer loses control of the van and crashes into a car graveyard, losing all of the platinum in the process. Lowell apologizes to his two sons, both of whom are dying on the pavement. Lowell manages to find Mercer but before he can act, Antoine shoots Lowell dead. The two get into Lowell’s car and Antoine breaks down, crying into his father’s shoulder. The two make their escape and the camera pans to a ravaged Los Angeles skyline and the screen fades to black.
