Fences

As an actor Denzel Washington is seemingly up for anything. He's been in TV melodramas, spent much of the last decade as an action star, and can even bust out some seasoned deadpan comedy chops when needed. But as a director, Washington is notably more selective and purposeful. He stars in the films, he picks projects that feature almost entirely black casts, picks stories that are important, and often gives new talent a chance to shine. This time around he brings August Wilson's Pulitzer Winning play to the big screen with himself and Viola Davis in the lead roles.

Taking place in Pittsburgh in the 1950s, Fences follows former Negro League ballplayer Troy Maxson, who now makes ends meat as a garbage collector. Despite a charismatic and boastful presence, Maxson's bitter worldview finds a direct challenge from his high school aged son who is being recruited by colleges. Soon Maxon's jaded attitude threatens to torpedo all of his familial relationships and potentially end futures before they begin.

Fences offers pretty much everything you could ask from a play-based movie. Superb acting, crackling dialogue, and an intimate setting suitable for the material. I feel like a lot of movies like this try to compensate for the "stagey" nature of the source with lavish production values or big sets, that takes away from the inherent intimacy theater offers. Thankfully the screenplay, written by August Wilson before he passed, and Denzel Washington's directing choices keep things simple. The action happens primarily in and around the Maxson's house, and there's no grand flashbacks to fill in the stories or show us what a character is describing. For instance, if Washington begins a monologue about an incident from his past, we're simply listening to him telling the story, not watching the past happen over narration.

The movie is an examination of one man's psyche and the people in his life, so all you really need is the acting talent to match Wilson's words. And boy does this movie have that. Washington hasn't had material this well-suited to his skill set in years, He's always managed to maintain charisma and unexpected vulnerability, but he's often at his most compelling when he portrays character's with rough edges a la American Gangster and his Oscar wins for Glory and Training Day. There's at least five major scenes in this movie where the audience's perspective on Troy will shift from likable to cold and he nails every single one. He also does an excellent job at demonstrating the damage of a hard life defined by abuse and racism. He's not over it, because how could he ever be, and that means the damage is guaranteed to bleed into the lives of his children.

Matching him stride for stride is Viola Davis, who is "I'm gonna flip a table if she doesn't win an Oscar for this" good as Troy's compassionate wife Rose. At first Rose feels almost sitcom like in her presentation. She makes cracks at Troy's expanse to tone down his ego, operates as the lighter touch to Troy's gruffness around the children, and is heart-breakingly sweet when she encounter's Troy's mentally impaired brother. But once she lets go of years of pent up frustrations, Davis tears into monologues that are soul-piercing and tragic all at once. As I indicated, Davis should win as Oscar with this performance based on the sheer power of some of these scenes.

Thematically the movie handles all of the forces at play in the Maxson household and the emotional barriers Troy has put between himself and the people in his life. The key aspect, is that unlike material that has men behave like bastards just because, the more we learn about Troy the more we understand his behavior. His seemingly unreasonable response to his son's athletic pursuits at first looks like nothing than jealousy of a man who never made it or a "my house my rules" dictatorship. That is, until Troy reveals his harsh backstory and the racism that's plagued his life and career. It's phenomenal writing to present a flawed lead character so even handedly.

Aside from the straight-forward presentation of the material, Washington does an excellent job of maintain the play's "day in the life" feeling. The movie opens with an extended conversation between Troy and his coworker/best friend that seemlessly moves into an introduction to his wife Rose, and through the house to meet his eldest son all without losing a step in pacing.

The only potential weakness in the film is the final act which is meant to be an emotional resolution but simply can't match the intensity of the film's middle. Granted this is likely the point since Wilson wasn't interested in portraying life as a series of tidy events.

Built around solid source material and the actors performing it, Fences is an absolute home run for Denzel Washington and a phenomenal cast. And I will seriously flip a table if Viola Davis doesn't win the Oscar this year.