IS there any better actor around today than Denzel Washington? Put him in a film adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize winning play, add more than a little class from Viola Davis and what do you get? Magic.
The movie centres on a black garbage collector named Troy Maxson (played by Washington) in 1950s Pittsburgh.
Bitter that baseball’s colour barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. He never really let go of the dream he should have
waved goodbye to years earlier, and his interactions with children and wife (Viola Davis), all suffer from this self imposed strain as a result.
The play was written by August Wilson who has adapted his own work into the screenplay for the film.
A 2010 revival of the piece earned both Washington and Davis Tony awards for their performances on stage, something that will provide comfort as you purchase your cinema tickets, safe in the knowledge that the two leads know their respective roles inside out.
Washington directs his first major motion picture but really the challenge is small, as the action almost entirely takes place in one location, either inside the family home or outside in the back yard.
But don’t let that put you off. This is a wonderfully observed look at one man’s journey towards self-destruction as he unwittingly pushes away those closest to him.
Washington and Davis are both magnificent in their portrayal of the Maxsons, and the writing and dialogue created by Wilson is breathtaking.
Very few films this reliant on dialogue can capture and hold your attention for two hours, twenty minutes but this one does, and that is testament to the acting and writing.
Everyone who has ever been in a relationship will relate to this piece in some way. The only slight criticism is that by its very nature, it’s not hugely cinematic.
Despite that small point, we score ‘Fences’ an almost perfect, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Other Releases:
Moonlight – 4 stars
Paul O’Rourke
