Review – Fences

Fences is a movie the relies solely on the actors involved.  Based on the play written by August Wilson, this is a dialog heavy movie with a couple of settings.  All of the action comes from the dialog, so without good actors, the action would be stale.

Thankfully, the movie stars two of the best actors we have today and is directed by someone close to source material, resulting in an electric, oustanding film.

Wilson’s play takes place in 1950’s Pittsburgh and focuses on Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), a disgruntled former Negro League player who deals with race relations and family issues with his wife, Rose (Viola Davis) and his son, Cory (Jovan Adepo).

Along with starring in the film, Washington also directed it, his third directorial effort after Antwone Fisher (2003) and The Great Debaters (2007).  While the other two were good efforts by Washington, this is his best work yet and solidifies his status as a director.  Having starred in the play on Broadway, Washington knew how to perfectly adapt the beloved play to the big screen.  He didn’t change a thing about Wilson’s play, making Wilson the sole screenwriter of the movie, though he passed away in 2005.  Washington didn’t do anything flashy with his direction either.  He lets the camera roll and lets the actors act, making the film feel more like a play and less like a movie.

Washington also rocks it as the star of the film.  Wilson’s words are like poetry and I couldn’t think of a better actor to recite them than Washington.  This is one of the finest performances of the great actor’s career.  Troy is a loud, brash, selfish man who will always get the last word in.  He’s a man of pride and respect, though sometimes that causes issues within the household.  Washington gives a deep, powerhouse performance that will certainly get awards recognition.  Adepo gives a breakout performance as Troy’s unhappy son, Cory.  He has a couple really powerful scenes, especially at the end, when Cory stands up for himself and confronts Troy.  And Viola Davis is all but guaranteed a Best Support Actress win this year for her performance as Rose.  Rose is a strong, smart woman who would to anything for Troy, until he commits the ultimate sin, which leads to one of the very best scenes of 2016 and one of the best Davis has ever done.

Fences is an absolute knockout.  It is an acting showcase for two of the best to ever do it and pitch perfect adaptation of a much beloved play.

MY RATING – 3.5/4

Did you see Fences?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook and YouTube by searching Kevflix.