LA 92 (2017)

Too much of everything

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I will choose a different angle for my review. First off, this documentary was brilliant. The footage is astounding and the editing is flawless. Major props to the subtle but powerful score. My one major issue is this. The Rodney King beaters were disgusting. Not only for their crimes but their smugness during the trial. The footage was awful and exposed a larger cultural departmental problem. Racial tensions were already bubbling and that verdict blew the lid open. We see the Black Caucus, black leaders, LA's mayor, numerous politicians all denounce the police's actions and their displeasure with the verdict..and then come the riots...I have yet to see one piece of work condemn the looters, murderers and criminals that took to the streets of LA. This was not Maxine Waters or truly oppressed folks. These were savages. And we only hear a half hearted speech from the LA mayor about how nobody wants violence. Where was the outrage from these public figures and condemnation for these heinous acts? What the Korean store owners went through was nothing short of hate crimes. You could tell that the older folks in LA wanted no part of these riots. One of The most heartbreaking parts of this doc was the older store owner pleading to the streets about how he grew up in the ghetto too and wondering why they looted and destroyed his store. Now, this documentary made a point to let the footage speak for itself but I can't help but get the feeling that it implies the same point that every other LA riots doc does. That the riots were somehow justified. And that is a grossly irresponsible point of view in my opinion. With that said, this is an amazing work. Highly reccomended.

This documentary does an extraordinary job at depicting the events that unfolded in south Los Angeles in 1992 through the use of compelling 'raw' footage from the event itself. It also accurately shows the connection to past similar events that led to the L.A riots in 1992, and its use of symbolic historical footage creates a powerful and striking analysis that is hard to forget.

Wow, raw unseen footage of one of the most captivating and horrific situation in cultural America. Racism in our country is one of the worst problems we have, and this is the quintessential example of what it can cause people to do who feel oppressed. It's sickening, and it has to stop, yet it never will. If I could say what I wanted to about the LAPD this review wouldn't be posted because every other word would start with F. And then, because of this, OJ got away with murder! Good job LAPD!

This gives some quick background starting with the '65 Watts riots. There is political background. Once we get to Rodney King and Mrs Du's killing of Latasha Harlins, the riot starts to build. It is a lot of the old footage stitched together. It does mean the quality is lower with plenty of shaky camera work. However, it does give a relatively full accounting of the events and delivers the immediacy of the moment. The emotional climax is Rodney King's pleading news conference. This is a solid documentary of that time and the riot.