"Fences" (2016) Directed by Denzel Washington #oscars #denzelwashington #movies

“Some people build fences to keep people out, and some people build fences to keep people in”.

During my cinema going life I have had the very great pleasure of seeing Denzel Washington produce awe inspiring performance after performance, whether in Training Day, Glory, Malcolm X, Man on Fire or The Hurricane to name just a few, and his performance here as the conflicted, yet arguably man of his time Troy Maxson is one of the very finest of his career. Fences is also his greatest achievement to date as a Director and rightly nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 2017. From the film’s very first frame until it’s last, you can see the love and enthusiasm that has been poured into this film by Washington in what has previously been performed as a stage play and adapted here for the big screen by Washington behind the camera and based upon both a screenplay and original novel by August Wilson. The love with which the film is made is evident as is the reverential nature and respect from every cast member from the Director onward.

What is also evident is the film’s “motion” as the camera often flows from scene to scene smoothly and even though primarily set in three distinct settings (house, backyard or surrounding neighbourhood), Washington, with Editor Hughes Winborne and Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen engage you as the audience in these intimate, if rarely changing, settings. Both behind and in front of the camera, Fences really is a rare film that is entirely resplendent in the total sum of it’s parts. With it’s previous life as a stage play there are only ten credited characters in the entirety of this two hour plus film and even then only six should be considered major central or supporting roles, with Viola Davis outstanding and fully deserving of her Oscar win in 2017 for an Actress in a Supporting Role as Maxson’s wife “Rose Maxson”. A housewife and homemaker, Rose has been married to Troy for eighteen years, listened to his every story “Every time Troy tell that story he finds a different way to tell it” and where Davis excels as Rose is with her subtlety of slight touches, glances and looks as she listens in on yet another story or yet another complaint from her husband. Her role famously develops into a thunderous one equal to that of Washington, but the key to Davis’ role is her engagement as a watcher and listener and Washington, in his role now as Director, captures this magnificently throughout.

The above paragraphs are taken from my spoiler free review of "Fences" which was originally penned and published some years ago, transferred to my Medium blog site on 28th January 2023 and which can now be read in full and for free (please also consider subscribing for free too!) via my Substack blog site and original article linked immediately below:

https://ramblingmusings666.substack.com/p/fences-2016-acf39a0420bc

This spoiler free review is also integral to Volume 2 of my "essential film reviews collection". Each volume and e-book is £4.99 however, should you have an Amazon Kindle "Unlimited" package, all volumes are available to read for free:

Volume 2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4J1S1TL

7 Volume Collection

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C4HZSTTH?ref_=dbs_p_pwh_rwt_anx_a_lnk&storeType=ebooks

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