Review of Fences (2016) by Joe G — 02 Jan 2017

I never saw the play fences when denzel and viola first did it but I wish I had. Fences is a compelling, honest story about a working class family and dreams they wanted to achieve but didn't.

Troy Maxson his wife Rose and his son corey are a black family living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Troy is a garbage worker who once was a talented baseball player but didn't make it. He now is a much older man and wants his son to take on a life that doesn't involve sports. However Corey really wants to play football which leads to many clashes within the household. Throughout the film it is revealed the tragic past that lead troy to where he is now and how he acts now with his wife and his son.

If your looking for 2 words to sum up the film, they are, Powerful and incredible. this script was well adapted and more than usual it's a film were you need to really pay attention due to it being very dialogue heavy. This film really hammers home life lessons and the importance of being a man, taking care of your own and making something out yourself because not doing that can lead down some dark roads.

Denzel's directing was very impressive! From the angle of the camera in scenes to give it that theater like feel to the slow closeups of characters to the delivery of lines. He is truly going to be a major directing force someday.

The acting in this film will blow you away. I have never seen Denzel have better chemistry on screen than with viola Davis. The two of them make you believe they are like a real married couple.

This was the first time I got to witness what he did with troy as I never saw the play. I hated troy so much here but you understand why and how he ended up like that.. Troy is broken man who's lived a life of misfortunes and it caused him to have a really misconstrued view of life and even just living. Denzel's rough and tragic take on the character is unbelievable. Viola Davis continues to deliver impactful performance after impactful performance. Rose was the only thing keeping troy in line. She tries hard to be what troy needed and live a good life herself but it takes a toll on her in the worst way.

Great cinematography and lighting. you truly get a sense you are watching a 1950's 1960's setting in Pittsburgh. you will either love or not love the pacing but its how the play went so have patience when watching.

It is more than deserving of its award attention. We will see this at the Oscar for sure but for now go see this film.