April 29, 1992 was a pivotal day in American history, and it’s brought to cinematic life in 1992. This particular date saw a jury acquitting four police officers of excessive force following the arrest and fatal beating of Rodney King, which led to the Los Angeles riots. The film centers around Mercer (Tyrese Gibson), a father trying to reconnect with his son as civil rest grows around him following the King verdict. 1992 also stars Ray Liotta and Scott Eastwood as the other father-and-son pair trying to rob the platinum factory where Mercer works.

Multiple films have tackled the complex subject matter of the Los Angeles riots, including LA 92 and Dark Blue. However, 1992 does an excellent job of looking at the riot’s effects and aftermath on two very different but fundamentally similar families. Believable performances from Gibson, Liotta, Eastwood, and others add tension to the film. The cast was strong enough to bring heart and pᴀssion to the story without sugarcoating its historical significance.

Tyrese Gibson As Mercer

Date Of Birth: December 30, 1978

• Active since 1998

Actor: Tyrese Gibson was born in Los Angeles, California. Gibson started his show business career as a musician. In 1998, he signed a deal with RCA Records and released his debut single, “Nobody Else”. Gibson subsequently released his first album, Tyrese, which obtained a platinum certification from the Recording Industry ᴀssociation of America. To date, Gibson has recorded seven studio albums.

His breakthrough film role came in 2001 when he starred in John Singleton’s Baby Boy. Gibson has also acted in two high-grossing film franchises. He notably starred in The Fast & Furious films as Roman Pearce. Roman is so beloved that he’s considered one of the Fast & Furious characters who most deserves his own spinoff. Gibson also starred in the still-incredibly popular Transformers films as Sergeant Robert Epps.

Character: In 1992, Gibson plays Mercer Bey. Mercer works at a platinum factory called Pluton Metals, during the Los Angeles riots of 1992. He is desperate to repair his broken relationship with his son, Antoine (Christopher Ammanuel), especially after Mercer went to prison. Mercer seeks to protect his son from both the riots and Lowell and his gang, who are trying to rob the factory. Although the film establishes Mercer’s troubled past, he ultimately cares about his son’s future and safety more than anything.

Ray Liotta As Lowell

Date Of Birth: December 18, 1954

• Active since 1978

Actor: Ray Liotta was born in Newark, New Jersey. Liotta had a storied acting career spanning five decades. The actor’s breakthrough role came in 1986 when he starred alongside Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels in Something Wild. He went on to star in Field of Dreams as Shoeless Joe Jackson. Liotta reportedly didn’t like Field of Dreams’ script but acted in the film anyway, and it would go on to be one of his most career-defining roles.

Liotta is perhaps best known for starring as Henry Hill in the endlessly quotable gangster film Goodfellas. Post-Goodfellas, Liotta continued to act in film and television with significant roles in films like Hannibal, Killing Them Softly, and ER. Liotta pᴀssed away on May 26th, 2022, at the age of 67 from respiratory failure.

Character: Liotta plays Lowell in 1992. Lowell is motivated by two things: making money off stolen platinum and forging a pᴀssable relationship with his son. He’s a criminal who is interested in stealing catalytic converters specifically for the valuable platinum the car part contains. Lowell figures that because the authorities are busy trying to de-escalate the riots, he and his men can rob Pluton Metals without being detected. Along the way, Lowell tries to connect with his son, Riggin.

Scott Eastwood As Riggin

Date of Birth: March 21, 1986

• Active since 2006

Actor: Scott Eastwood was born in Monterey, California, and is the son of legendary actor/director Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has acted in several of his father’s films, including Flags of Our Fathers, Gran Torino, and Invictus. But the young actor has also appeared in other projects such as Suicide Squad, Snowden, two Fast & The Furious films. Scott was actually born Scott Reeves and initially used this name as an actor to avoid nepotism.

Character: In 1992, Eastwood plays Riggin, the son of Ray Liotta’s character, Lowell. Riggin has a turbulent relationship with his father but reluctantly agrees to help him rob Pluton Metals. Riggin and Lowell’s father-son bond is tested when stealing from the factory proves to be more dangerous than either of them expected. Their relationship mirrors that of Mercer and Antoine, but Riggin and Lowell are criminals who take advantage of the devastating riots, making them much less sympathetic characters.

Christopher Ammanuel As Antoine

Date of Birth: April 21st, 2000

• Active since 2018

Actor: Christopher Ammanuel spent most of his life traveling between Atlanta, GA, and London, UK, to explore his love of acting. Along the way, he fell in love with musical theater. At age 11, Ammanuel acted in his first stage play, and he eventually transitioned into film and television, going on to appear in the CW show Black Lightning as TC. He has also had an unnamed role in the DC universe show Doom Patrol, playing “college student”

Character: Ammanuel plays Antoine Bey in 1992, the 16-year-old son of Mercer. Antoine is now living under the care of his father after the death of his mother and grandmother. His relationship with his father is turbulent. But despite their issues, Mercer wants to keep Antoine safe during the riots. Antoine eventually accepts his father’s safety plan and hides out at the factory, only to find that Lowell and his gang are trying to rob it.

1992 Supporting Cast & Character Guide

Dylan Arnold as Dennis: Dylan Arnold plays Dennis, Lowell’s other son and Riggin’s brother. The brothers dislike their father but are too intrigued by the potential of a big score to care about Lowell’s issues. Arnold is best known for appearing in After and Halloween (2018). He notably starred in Best Picture winner Oppenheimer in which he played Frank Oppenheimer, the younger brother of the тιтular protagonist.

Michael Beasley as Joseph: Michael Beasley plays Joseph, an ex-LAPD officer who is now head of security at Pluton Metals, where Mercer works. Beasley is best known for performing in HBO’s Ballers and Netflix’s Bloodline. He is the father of NBA player Malik Beasley.

Dot Da Genius as himself: Dot Da Genius plays himself in 1992, his feature film debut. Born Oladipo Omishore, Dot Da Genius is known for producing the song “Day ‘N’ Nite” with rapper Kid Cudi. He has worked with multiple major players in the music scene, like Eminem, Little Nas X, and Jhené Aiko.