User Reviews

Troy Maxson missed out on so many opportunities as a young man, held back for one reason alone, his colour, when it comes to his own family, he can't help but be influenced by the bitterness inside of him.

It's a solid movie, it's one of those where when it finished, I contemplated how awesome it would be seeing this on stage, I could only imagine seeing Troy ranting to a captivated audience about the injustice of it all.

I've got to be honest, at times I found this quite a frustration watch, the movie's time line seemed to randomly jump about at times, I couldn't see the purpose it served. I found Troy quite hard to connect with, definitely an angry and frustrated guy, he seemed to take his frustrations out on those closest to him, talk about tough love.

I found the visuals very pleasing, nice camera work, very easy on the eye.

Fences is definitely well acted, Washington was very good, but Viola Davies was outstanding, I thought she stole the show, as she so always does.

6/10.

I would give this film a good 7.5 out of 10 stars. I read some mixed reviews about this film and I'm on the side that says it's good, a bit long for what it was trying to deliver, but good. This film didn't need all of the thrills or heavy duty suspense to stay afloat. With brilliant and top notch actors like Denzel Washington and Viola Davis playing the leads their performances alone will make this film something worth seeing. Being that this film is from a stage play it's almost as if this were just a stage play done on a movie set, that's probably why it had so many bad reviews but I think the director (Denzel Washington) wanted it that way. This is purely a drama film delivered well by some of the most brilliant acting I have ever seen. I must admit, it does take a little while for the story to get good but it's well worth the wait. If you're into drama filled experiences with lots of symbolism and good acting I highly recommend this film.

This film is about a man. A man who carries the burden of generations of hardship, who couldn't fulfill his own greatest dreams because of the oppressive context in which he lived and who tries to close himself off from the world with fences. Tragically, in closing himself off he loses site of the changing times, he boxes his loved-ones in, and he creates an oppressive environment that emulates everything he tried to guard against. The timeless question lies within this story (adapted from a Pulitzer winning play) is: can we hate a man like this? Or, when we consider his circumstances and trials, is he a hero to admire?

It's worth seeing and is worthy of praise. If not from the acting (particularly Viola's), from the captivating and poetic screenplay. Every word uttered seems calculated by the mind of a genius.

In the 50's, in Pittsburgh, the bitter and proud fifty-three year-old garbageman Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) lives a simple life in a poor neighborhood with his wife Rose Maxson (Viola Davis), his teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo), who is an amateur football player, and his brother Gabriel "Gabe" (Mykelti Williamson) that is an insane man after losing part of his skull in the war. His best friend is Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who works with him, and his estranged thirty-four year-old son Lyons (Russell Hornsby) is married and tries to survive as a musician with financial difficulties. Troy is a frustrated man since he was too old to become a professional baseball player when the leagues began to admit black athletes. He refuses to receive the recruiter of a college and consequently does not allow Cory to join college. The tension increases in his family when he confesses to Rose that he has a mistress that is pregnant. Meanwhile he has been building a fence in the limits of his real estate.

"Fences" is a heavy drama in the 50's in a black community with a black family. The lead character Troy Maxson is not a bad man; actually he is a provider that delivers his paycheck to his wife. However, he is an illiterate man that treats his son the way he was treated in the past. He tries to protect him from the disappointments he had with sports and is unable to see that times are changing. But his attitudes build a fence between his family and he and Troy ends the story alone. The performances are top-notch and Viola Davis and Denzel Washington deserve the nominations to the Oscar. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Um Limite Entre Nós" ("A Limit Between Us")

"Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in."

The first thing movie-goers should understand about Fences is that it is very much a filmed play. An adaption of August Wilson's Tony- winning play, director Denzel Washington has kept the project as minimalist as possible. There's good reason for this. Wilson's words are exciting enough that there is just no need for big action, large sets nor grandiose cinematography. Fences is a small, intimate story about Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) and his close-knit circle of family and friends. This small cast of characters is used to speak volumes about how far the Black community had come in overcoming prejudices by the 50s-era the story takes place in, but how far they still had to go. It talks about the roles of husbands, wives and children; the sacrifices we all make to support each other, often giving up our own dreams but never losing sight of them.

Much has been said of the performances here, and with good reason. They're terrific. Viola Davis will get her Oscar this year, there's little doubt in my mind. Her Rose Maxson is so reserved and subtle for much of the film, allowing Troy's continual imperfections and abuses to store inside her and chip away at her emotionally until the final straw causes her to erupt near the final act of the movie. It's an emotional and painful performance to observe, and one many, particularly long-time wives and mothers, will find easy to relate to but at times difficult to watch.

As for Washington, I find it difficult to understand why he isn't the front-runner for Best Actor this year. I've seen front-runner Casey Affleck's performance in Manchester By The Sea and it is excellent and look forward to Ryan Gosling's turn in La La Land; but what Washington does in Fences is special. Simpy put, it's one of the best performances I've ever seen an actor give. Troy is a very imperfect man to say the least. He's not necessarily a "bad guy", in fact most men will be able to see a little of themselves in Troy. He's a likable personality who does some despicable things. HIs tough love approach to raising his son seems more out of spite than love. And while there can be no doubt that he loves Rose, his behavior proves that love and respect are not the same thing. Washington crawls into this raw and complex character, becoming Troy to the extent that no matter how big a star Washington is, you forget you're watching an actor.

The supporting cast fairs well, particularly Stephen Henderson as Troy's friend and work-mate Bono, Jovan Adepo as his son Cory and Mykelti Williamson as his mentally-challenged brother Gabriel. Everyone seems to be working their hardest to do Wilson's words justice, and their efforts result it what may be the most overall well-acted film of the year.

Fences won't appeal to everyone. Those looking for action and extravaganza, this is not your movie. But if you're like me and enjoy watching good actors perform a well-written script, then you'll be enthralled by every minute of Fences.

If I hadn't known what Fences was going in, I would have been able to tell before any color hit the screen. In a second before the vibrant world of Fences fades into view, the astute theater-goer will recognize the fast-paced almost narrative cadence of two characters talking as lines written for a stage play. Fences is an adaptation of August Wilson's 1987 play, a part of his Pittsburgh Cycle. It won the Pulitzer Price for Drama in as well as the Tony Award for Best Play, repeating this with the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2010.

We're not venturing into mere trivia either, as that revival starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (both taking Tonys for their acting). Not only do both reprise their roles in this film, but Denzel Washington directs. This probably explains why Washington puts in such a theater-like performance. For him, it must have felt like stepping into old shoes with very little desire for change. As I alluded, those accustomed with the stage will recognize and probably even like the kind of performance that at all times demands audience attention, as on stage, you have to do exactly that. In movie form, some might confuse it for scene-chewing, but either way, it gives his character a larger than life affability. As is said in the movie, his ability to fill a house could apply as much to his small house in universe as it could to a theater house. It goes a long way to explaining why in the end, these characters have such a strange respect for a man who is such a heinous character.

If it seems like I'm only praising Washington's performance as relatively good, that might be because he shares the screen with Viola Davis. Davis's performance is not only more suited for film, a medium she has taken by storm lately, but it's also transcendentally fantastic in its own right. In one pivotal scene, Davis's character pours her heart as the actress pours tears and snot down her face. It's not many movies that I can leave and think, boy, we really should have more snot in our films. When it comes to movies, I like to think of myself as an everyman. I approach the Oscars with a sort of double-speak. There's the film that should win (Moana), and there's the film that should win and has a chance (Hell or High Water). In a rare moment of finding these opinions in concert, I could only describe the possibility of Viola Davis not taking home the Best Actress Award with one word: ridiculous.

Denzel Washington certainly doesn't need to feel upstaged. While August Wilson wrote the screenplay himself before passing away in 2005 (a little uncredited work was done on it by Tony Kushner, who settled for a co-producer credit), it's still no small feat to take something designed for the small stage putting it on a film screen. A while the film is still more than a bit obvious, I think Washington really did as much as he could to make it as a good a movie as it could be. There are few real scenes and constant talk, but there's just as much constant motion. Characters walk down a crowded street, transition through the house, come in and off screen organically. It gives a similar effect as if a long scene was done in take. But none of this would matter if it weren't for the impeccable set design. Taking place in the actual Hill District of Pittsburgh that was so important to Wilson's stories, the recreation of the 1950s feels almost too alive. The back alley where the eponymous fence is being built is very reminiscent of the set of Rear Window, perhaps smaller in scale, but feeling no less lived in.

Fences is a film built upon quite a pedigree, but what is it about? I believe that Fences is a story about masculinity. In the film, masculinity provides. It helps you ensure that get what you are owed. But masculinity also takes. Troy Maxson (Washington) is an old man obsessed with what he believes the world owes him. The world owed him glory in sports. The world owed him a better profession. A better standard of living. He even believes that the Grim Reaper owes him life. Even though there are legitimate arguments as to why he never obtains these things, we can still say that they are fair wishes. But as the movie progresses, we see that when he tries to take the things he's owed, he doesn't necessarily think about who he's taking from or what they are owed.

Due to its strict adaptation, Fences is extremely dense in its amount of talking compared to other films. The depth this gives to its characters and sheer literature value certainly goes a long way to cement Fences as one of the smartest films of the season. But I have to be a little self-aware and recognize that as a source of entertainment, Fences probably appealed to me mostly as a man who enjoys the stage. Others might not be as indulgent with it as I am.

I didn't like this movie as much as I expected to. Sorry. The movie centers around Troy Maxon (Denzel Washington), a father to two boys of different mothers, a husband to Rose (played wonderfully by Viola Davis) for the past 18 years, an ex-con, a garbage man, and above all, an ordinary black man in the 1950's.

No doubt it was a powerful script that most likely created an incredible play but it was not meant for the screen. It was obvious that it was a play, in the way they spoke and entered a room and carried themselves in a scene. I, of course, have not seen the play so I cannot speak with 100% certainty but I feel like the script wasn't adapted for the screen at all. It's not like it needed any major changes, just a few here and there to improve clarity. The passage of time confused me throughout. A scene would end and it would be the next day, then a minute passes and it abruptly jumps to six months later with no indication. This could be a statement on how his life passed quickly and routinely, but it felt like a swing and a miss for me.

Viola Davis was wonderful. She deserves every award coming her way. I could sing songs of praise about how magnificent she was. 10/10 for her. Beautiful.

Denzel Washington was certainly egging for an Oscar as he did what he did, but that's not degrading his performance. He did do good, but it was a bit distracting when he stole the show and didn't really let the other actors bounce off each other and him as much. It was all about him.

Even though I constantly found myself criticizing this movie, I did like it. It had a magnitude that I cannot explain, otherwise I would've given it a much lower rating. I recommend this if you are willing to. I will warn you, it is tough to sit through a movie with no one to root for. Washington's character is not a good person and very unlikable, you don't really want to cheer him on.

Fences, the late August Wilson play adaptation, is a movie with universal messages about life, love, family, parenting and black identity. It shows the hardship of life in a common Africanamerican family set in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and the margins of society. It carries a universal message about a disappointed father, who wants to protect his teenage son of life disappointments. Haunted by his inner demons, Troy Maxon fails to show real love, instead we see his harsh personality towards his son and his wife. Too many disappointments in the past have led him to shut off his emotions towards his family but still remaining human and adopting his extramarital child. The movie depicts a society put on the social margins, fighting everyday issues and marital problems but giving us a ray of hope about complex family relations and a young generation respecting their parents. The masterful performance of Denzel Washington and Academy awarded Viola Davis brought this universal play to the screen, giving the viewers a real movie gem and a show calling for their emotional responses and a deeper introspective in their own personal relationships.

During the entire movie I was thinking that Fences should be a play instead of a movie. Most of the time I read the reviews on here after watching the movie, and so did I with this movie, and that's only then that I realized that it used to be a play before becoming a movie. I'm not surprised because the movie is basically people talking whole the time. You never get a minute of rest, it's all about Denzel Washington ranting and raving about everything and nothing. It sometimes feels like a monologue with sporadic comments of the rest of the cast. Denzel Washington's character isn't the most pleasant man to listen to so at one point it gets a bit boring. As far as Viola Davis winning an Oscar for best performance by an actress in a supporting role I wouldn't go that far. Don't get me wrong she's a good actress but this movie is just not Oscar material, at least not to me. But then again over the years I saw alot of movies that in my eyes didn't deserve Oscars, so it might be me with my bad taste. All in all the movie is okay to watch once, but I will certainly not watch it a second time.

A very strong emotional performance by the great Denzel Washington, not his best per say but it gives us everything we love about this great actor. A well driven vehicle for Washington as well as well made by Washington who also directed the film.

Denzel and Viola Davis were a pretty outstanding combination. It seems like a no brainier that one day these two would work together on this level and here it is. It was worth seeing just to see these two as a couple going through their hard times.

It's a very basic movie, despite putting some money into the CGI to make it look like the 1950s, it all takes place in one area and relies a lot on the experience actors and the performances they give, so little is done to change the tone. It really feels like the movie is giving us a Broadway production.

It was also very gritty. Denzel and Viola gave some real life to these characters. It's very rare that you get the movie star whose also an actor and he's unafraid to open up, but that's what Denzel does and so did Viola, just not afraid to let it all hang out for the role.

Worth seeing to see some real craftsmanship in acting. It was a great movie adaption to a great play.

http://cinemagardens.com

The acting in this film is outstanding. Denzel and Viola are truly at their best and the consistency with which they convey the depth of emotion required of them in this film is outstanding. To me, this was the best part about the film. It was a little difficult to sit through this one, mostly because it is a movie in which not much happens. Don't mistake this as a comment from someone who loves action-packed movies (although I do sometimes), but rather it plods along and neither has very high highs or very low lows. As such, I drifted in and out of the story and was still able to keep up. It is important story to tell, but I can see how it was potentially better as a play. It is definitely worth seeing, if nothing else for the superb acting.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by The Late/Great August Wilson, 'Fences' is a film that boasts Fabulous Performances from its terrific cast that Shine undeniably, but the film, as a whole, is overlong! Also, the narrative gets repetitive after a point.

'Fences' Synopsis: A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.

Denzel Washington directs 'Fences' with a realistic feeling & the film legend is absolutely terrific in the central role. As Troy Maxson, the protagonist, Denzel is firebrand, delivering a performance full of feeling & frustration. But the film belongs to Viola Davis, who steals the show. Davis, an absolute acting pioneer, is priceless as the wife, offering a portrayal of loyalty, motherhood & heartbreak. Davis is sure to win Awards ahead (Already Having Won The Golden-Globe recently), yes Academy, I'm talking to you! In supporting roles, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Saniyya Sidney & Mykelti Williamson lend remarkable support.

Now coming to the minuses! The Screenplay works in parts. Considering its been adapted from a play, the writing sticks to its true roots a bit too much. The locations remain the same & the literal translation becomes monotonous after a point. Troy's bitter attitude towards his Sons & his Wife's sacrifices, don't engross you beyond a point. The Writing needed to be crisper. And the film is overlong! At a 139-minutes, 'Fences' overstays its welcome by at least 20-minutes. I wish the narrative was stronger, as it begins beautifully.

So what's the final word? 'Fences' is greatly acted, but as a film, it's a disappointment!

In "Fences" Denzel Washington plays Troy – a bitter, self-centred and selfish man in his mid-fifties who loves the sound of his own voice. They say "empty vessels make the most noise" and here is a case in point. Set in the early fifties, race plays a strong card in every aspect of life, and Troy feels betrayed by a failed baseball career that – in his eyes at least – looked over his skills to the colour of his skin. But Troy is also a stubborn cuss, and refuses to acknowledge that even in the 50's "The times they are a changing'". His cussedness puts him on a collision course with his teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo), given his aspirations for a college football scholarship, and his mother (Viola Davis, "The Help") tries to keep the peace between the two of them.

This is a film primarily about resistance to change. All those changes in the outside world are on the 'other side of the fence' that Troy habitually tries to finish but never seems to put his mind to. Fences keep things out; but they also keep things in, and Troy is in a cocoon of his own making. He justifies his actions as a 'family provider' with lengthy speeches but ultimately they deliver hollow words and assertions that don't stand up to scrutiny.

This is a pressure cooker of family life that is primed to blow, and a revelation (which I didn't see coming) sets that fuse alight.

This is a film worth watching for the acting performances of Denzel Washington and (particularly) Viola Davis, winner of the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA and a strong contender for the Oscar. Both give assured performances, although Troy is such an instantly dis- likable and pitiable character that I could feel my emotions influencing my judgement about his performance.

But this is also a strong ensemble cast, with Mykelti Williamson (famously appearing as Bubba of the 'Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory' fame) being effective as Troy's disabled brother and English-born Jovan Adepo being particularly impressive in an extremely assured feature debut.

However, the Broadway roots of the piece are highly visible with 98% of the film set either in the back yard, in the house, or on the front steps (the set could clearly rotate!). For such a claustrophobic topic, this is perhaps apt. But as a feature film I longed for the action to go elsewhere. The film version of the story – with a few tweaks to the screenplay – has lots of opportunities for this, but these are never taken. This makes the whole piece feel 'worthy but dull'. In particular, anyone looking for a useful tutorial on fence building needs to look elsewhere!

As for the recent "Moonlight" there is also excessive use of the "N" word and other outdated racial references that have the potential to offend.

Good luck to Viola Davis and Denzel Washington (who also directed this) for their Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor Oscars nominations. But "Best Film" Oscar? No, I don't think so. In truth this is a film that I will struggle to remember or get excited about in a month's time and it will not be on my re-watch list.

(This review was written just prior to the 2017 Oscars. For the graphical version, and to comment, please visit bob-the-movie- man.com).

When you pair up Denzel Washington with Viola Davis on screen, you know you're in for two of the most outstanding performances you'll see all year and that's exactly what you get from FENCES. That said, if only director Denzel Washington and his crew could've figured out some ways to lessen the stage play feel to it and make this seem more cinematic. But then again, breaking out of that format is indeed usually the challenge when dealing with straight up adaptations from stage plays, just like "August: Osage County" a few years ago.

Scripted by August Wilson, adapted by Wilson's own Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Denzel Washington plays an African-American father struggling with race relations in the United States while trying to raise his family in the 1950s. He's still bitter from his doomed baseball career in the past, blames it on the white man, so when his son tries to get into sports, he discourages him, telling him that the white man wouldn't give him a single opportunity out there in the field. Denzel's character's wife, played by Viola Davis, faithfully stands by his side despite the secret that would change their family forever.

Story-wise, it doesn't get more well-thought out than FENCES, it's dialogue-driven, it's performance-driven, this material is every actor's dream come true because it has so many layers and it provides room for you to showcase the best version of your chops. We know Denzel and Viola Davis are phenomenal, but FENCES allows them to venture into places and show us shades that may not have been seen before. And I'm sure it feels liberating for all the actors involved in this film to just dig deep down, tap into those emotions and lay them bare for the world to see, and there's no wrong way of doing it.

The conflicts in FENCES are powerful, like a fist through a wall. Nuances surround the characters so you end up understanding where they're coming from despite being in agreement or disagreement with many of their decisions. To a certain extent, I think Quentin Tarantino and Aaron Sorkin fans would find FENCES appealing since each of the characters has incredibly long lines that run like 100 mph. Marital affair, resentments, built up hatred, forgiving your past, there's no shortage of drama in FENCES, its cup overflows. But again, as I said earlier, I think there's a missed opportunity here, the film just didn't do enough to make itself appear cinematic. Composer Marcelo Zarvos' music is almost non-existent. Forget the backseat, many of film's elements are practically locked up in the trunk.

Their is a reason why the Oscars has an award for best adapted screenplay. Adapting a story from one piece of media to the next is an art in it of itself. The writer has to take the story, that was based around the limitations of the media it told, and put it in a new media that different set of challenges. What happens if the writer simply copies word by word from one platform to the next, you get Fences.

The main problem with fences is that there is just there is just too much information being told per scene. Characters have so much dialogue that it is hard to keep up with the story. Audiences will get so overwhelmed by the dialogue, that they're bound to miss some information and that information can be important to the plot.This will might cause confusion. The play can get with all this because the actors are speaking directly to the audience and the audience is actually seeing the actors. This means that audience will have a better sense of the emotional context of the story and dialogue, but in a movie that context is lost by the fact that they're staring at a screen.

This is too bad because everything else in movie is fantastic. This movie has some of the best acting I have scene in cinema. The set design really makes audiences feel a sense of lost hope. Even objects have character based on what they represent on the story. The movie seems to love symbolism and it is certainly powerful.I just wish their were more setting in this movie. The majority of the movie only takes place in one house. That can get boring because while the set is interesting it is only one set, and that can lose its charm.

If you like great acting and willing to put up paragraphs of dialogue then see this movie, but if can't put up the long,unnatural ,and fast dialogue with less than four setting then don't see this move.

Was the cast excellent, yes. Was the storyline incredibly emotional and fraught with tension, yes. In the first fifteen minutes the language just about did me in. All that in a PG-13 movie? Left a bad taste in my mouth. Ooohwee no one can ugly cry like Viola Davis, she deserved the Oscar imho. Wow. I cannot imagine performing this material on the stage eight times a week. Kudos. Good but not great is my final verdict.

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are truly great actors. They draw you in immediately to the story. Mykelti Williamson too. Great play with the best acting around! Enjoy this film. They are far and few between.

'Fences (2017)' is the long-awaited film adaptation of August Wilson's critically acclaimed play. It features fantastic powerhouse performances, including perhaps career bests for Viola Davis and Denzel Washington, but feels aimless and a little too long despite some emotionally powerful scenes. It feels like we're watching a play, being told everything when we could be shown it. It is still relatively engaging throughout. 6/10.

Denzel Washington is clearly one of the best actors we have ever had, African-American or otherwise. Whether it has been in serious, sober-minded films like GLORY, MALCOLM X, and COURAGE UNDER FIRE, or explosive action films like CRIMSON TIDE, MAN ON FIRE, and UNSTOPPABLE, Washington has given all of himself, and then some. And then, like more than a few great actors, he also itched to get behind, as well as in front of, the camera as a director, which he did in 2002 with ANTWONE FISHER, and again in 2007 with THE GREAT DEBATERS. He does double duty again for one of the most insightful and true films of 2016, FENCES.

Scripted by noted playwright August Wilson from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play, FENCES stars Washington as an average Joe-type sanitation worker in late 1950s Pittsburgh dealing with the world at large. He had been a baseball player once before World War II, but it never amounted to much; and when one of his sons (Jovan Adepo) wants to get into football while going to college, Washington tries to steer him away, managing only to alienate his son further than he already is. Washington does have a good friend in Mr. Bono (Stephen Henderson), but he is still troubled by a dark park of himself, one that threatens the eighteen-year marriage between him and his wife Rose (Viola Davis).

Adapting stage plays to the screen is not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do, because what works on a stage needs a great deal to transfer it to a movie, and a real, breathing set. Fortunately, Washington found a way of making it happen by filming in a part of Pittsburgh that seems not to have changed all that much from the way it must have looked in the actual time that FENCES is set. Wilson's stage play and screenplay are full of language and slang that is very right for the times, and, yes, this does include a profuse use of the 'N' word. But a certain amount of uncomfortable language is what is necessary for a story like this, especially given that it involves not only Washington on both sides of the camera, but also another hugely superb performance by Davis as his wife, who manages to somehow stand by her man despite the horrible secret he reveals near the end. Equally fine in supporting roles are Adepo and Henderson, as well as Mykelti Williamson as a former war buddy of his whose mind isn't right because of a severe head wound suffered in the war, and Russell Hornsby as Washington's son by an earlier marriage who constantly comes to his dad on payday for ten-dollar loans.

Though it is an African-American cast and story, FENCES works because it feels universal, and it is a story that could happen in any family, regardless of skin color or ethnicity. Washington and Wilson (who passed away in 2005, and thus never saw FENCES make it to the big screen) make this very clear but in a non-heavy-handed way, and with dialogue scenes that are often long but never dull, earning it justifiable and favorable comparisons to Arthur Miller's classic "Death Of A Salesman".

All of these elements make FENCES easily one of the best films of 2016, and a sure-fire winner likely to be regarded as a classic in a very short time.

I attended Fences with full intention of writing a review. It's a hobby. You can sit down, start a piece, and finish. No one is paying me, I don't slog through a dozen revisions, or listen to an editor. And the reward is there, akin to a conversation with a close friend before even exiting the theater. The best are better and the disasters are suddenly goldmines.

But sometimes the words are dead on the page. Out of habit, I scratch out X00 uninspired words without insight, perspective, or anything that could possibly appeal to anyone. See Fences, draft one. An obviously very good movie that was equally obvious not great. What a spectacular thesis. So I trashed it. Time passes. I allow myself to read some reviews. Every critic compared Fences and source material in a lazy attempt to animate their own lifeless reviews. Excuse the metacriticism, but this mediocrity will not stand.

Fences is originally a Pulitzer Prize winning play. The sixth in playwright August Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle," Fences was revived in 2010 starring the same faces in the film, Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. It won a fistful on Tonys. I did not know any of this going in, and I shouldn't have to. The film stands on its own.

Fences is a character driven piece with little plot. The universe revolves around patriarch Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington), former Negro League star, now garbage man. Troy is an eloquent speaker and captivating storyteller. Good thing, because 90% of the film are his conversations, mostly expressions of deep frustration. Troy's primary salvation is Rose (Viola Davis), a devout, but infinitely strong wife. Together they have a son Cory, who seems to have a promising future in athletics. Troy is wary of such success because of what little professional baseball provided him. Troy forbids Cory's pursuits, an act beyond his son's comprehension that leaves an irreparable rift. Another troubled relationship is between Troy and his eldest son Lyons. Lyons is in his early 30's with a love of music, but without direction. Separated when Lyons was young, Troy outwardly treats Lyon more like a parasite than a son. A final anxiety is Troy's brother Gabriel. Permanently addled by war, the veteran wanders the street with a trumpet waiting for judgement day. Troy acts as caretaker, but it is Gabriel's assistance that payed for the home. Overwhelmed, we learn from friend Bono (Stephen Henderson) that smooth talking Troy is turning to another women for relief.

Seasoned cinephiles can spot adaptations a mile off. Wrought with narration? Fair chance the movie was once a book. Same principal, different guidelines for adaptations of plays. First giveaway, dialogue heavy script. Second, limited locales with action primarily restricted to a single setting. Fences is a prime example of both points. Now these obstructions might bore some audiences, especially those who have never found live drama compelling. Worth mentioning, but the film is still not the play. One essential difference is the camera. In Fences, the camera is quiet, but never static, influencing the viewer in a way that should not be underestimated. A close up cannot be replicated on stage. If little old me knows that, so do the makers of Fences, but they're not resorting to such obvious devices. Critics might have loved an extreme close up or more long takes. In Fences, camera actions exist to highlight the performances. That's what the story calls for. When the takes do get longer, with the perspective slowly spinning around the back yard, that invisible camera dominates your attention. Failing to notice this manipulation is like never seeing strings in a puppet show. The puppet master did their job. Those complaining that Fences never escaped the shadow of the play went to the show hoping to see strings.

Maybe we all missed the opportunity of a lifetime not taking a trip to New York and missing Denzel Washington and Viola Davis act this material live. Can't say, but I was happy to catch them in the movie theater. Chalk it up to nightly rehearsals on Broadway, this pair of performances establishes Fences as one of the best acted films of the year. And Troy Maxson himself, that character is an avatar of an agony beyond race, one that film rarely explores. Fences the film is a success. That should be all I need to say.