Riot (1997 film)

Riot
Written by	Galen Yuen Joseph B. Vasquez Richard Di Lello David C. Johnson
Directed by	Galen Yuen Alex Munoz Richard Di Lello David C. Johnson
Starring	Dante Basco Kieu Chinh Mako Alexis Cruz Yelba Osorio John Ortiz Douglas Spain Luke Perry Peter Dobson Mario van Peebles Melvin van Peebles Cicely Tyson
Music by	Luke Cresswell Steve McNicholas
Country of origin	United States
Original languages	English, Spanish, Chinese
Production
Producer	Shelly Glasser
Cinematography	Paul Elliott
Editor	Norman Buckley
Running time	105 minutes
Original release
Release	April 27, 1997 (1997-04-27TUSA)

Riot is a 1997 American television film starring Luke Perry and Mario Van Peebles. It was written and directed by four writers and directors of four different racial groups prominent in Los Angeles. The title "Riot" refers to the Los Angeles riots of 1992 that were sparked by the beating of Rodney King, and the subsequent acquittal of the four police officers who beat him.

The film dissects the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict and the ensuing riots through four narratives. A Chinese liquor store owner tries to come to an understanding with his assimilating teenage son who sees his father's old world ways and non-aggressive Buddhism as signs of weakness. A Hispanic teenager tries to live a straight life and do well in school so he will not make the same mistakes his older brother had made, and be able to provide as best he can for his current and future family. A white LAPD officer struggles with obligations from his new girlfriend and not-quite-ex-wife, while confronting a surprisingly gung ho attitude from his fellow officers. An African American middle class man who has recently moved his new family out of "the ghetto", visits the store his father used to own in the old neighborhood and seeks to give some good news to his mother who has vivid memories from living through the Watts riots less than thirty years prior. These four stories are nominally separate vignettes, but interact with each other throughout the film.

• 1992 Los Angeles Riot
• 1965 Watts Riot

• Riot at IMDb
• Riot at AllMovie
• Riot at Rotten Tomatoes