1992 - La rivolta di Los Angeles

A friend of mine asked me if I've seen this. "You must see it", he said, "I was on the edge of my seat the whole documentary". Figuratively, I of course assumed. But it wasn't figuratively.

It was literally.

Half-way through it I realized that my muscles were tense and my breath shallow, there could have been a riot going on outside without me noticing, because I was in the middle of the 1992 LA riots. This documentary is intense, it's frightening, it's scary, and all just by showing archive footage with some added music.

It gives a perspective on what led to the riots, and it draws – sometimes eerie – comparisons to the Watts riots. I would argue that this is an important documentary. It's brutal, it's frightening, it's sad, it might make you nauseous, and it will probably make you think.

It's extraordinary. Just... Just watch it.

After watching this it was hard to believe that this ACTUALLY happened. This was in the United States! With today's current political and racial climate it seems like all the old problems are as big as ever. Sooner or later something has to give.

National Geographic never seems to dissapoint in their movies. I enjoyed watching this, it was quickly paced and very informative. As someone who grew up and watched this happening on TV it didn't bother me how it was all shot and seemed to be view on a VCR.

Would totally recommend this movie for anyone who loves National Geographic or wants to learn more about the LA riots.

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.

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.

Not only is a film about a relevant issue, is a statement of an era that seems to have never passed. Is a film that'll make you angry, frustrated and emotional for all the right reasons. Violence and chaos in a masterfully constructed work from archive and found footage. The thoughtful and compassionate filmmaking is remarkable, unforgettable and utterly compelling. Must watch for every single person to remind us of our past, of every successful and failed step we've taken to become what we've become. Justice is only a myth...