Sunday, December 25, 2016

Fences Movie Review

Denzel Washington & Viola Davis (r) star in Fences

A Full Count

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Denzel Washington directed and stars in this adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which centers on a black garbage collector named Troy Maxson in 1950s Pittsburgh. Bitter that baseball's color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. Both Washington and co-star Viola Davis won Tonys for their performances in the 2010 revival of the play. Stephen Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, and Mykelti Williamson round out the supporting cast.


"Some people build fences to keep people out; and other people build fences to keep people in." Reasons notwithstanding, Washington's Fences is a joy to behold... a masterful depiction of old school principles and straightforwardness, featuring Oscar-worthy performances by Davis & Washington in a theatre-like setting, that allows the actors to shine. Wilson's story is modestly multi-layered, with a flawed/unapologetic main character and interesting side players. Be warned, it's a tad long (139 minutes) with lots of talking; but listen carefully, and you'll learn a lot (in addition to being entertained.) Slam dunk Academy Award/Red Apple for Davis.

Grade: B+