Fences
Blu-ray
Review by Kam Williams
Viola
Davis Delivers Oscar-Winning Performance in Adaptation of August
Wilson Classic
Back
in 1987, Fences won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony
Award for Best Play. The August Wilson classic, set in the Pittsburgh
in the Fifties, chronicled the day-to-day struggle of a blue-collar,
African-American family. The production was brought back to Broadway
in 2010, and it landed the Tony for Best Revival in addition to ones
for Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in the Best Actor and Best
Actress categories.
Directed
by Denzel, this adaptation reunites him with Viola (in an
Oscar-winning performance) and the rest of the principal cast,
including Mykelti Williamson, Stephen Henderson
and Russell Hornsby. This faithful version of the Wilson masterpiece
doesn't attempt to amplify the original beyond a few tweaks made in
service of the cinematic medium.
The
story revolves around the unenviable trials and tribulations of Troy
(Washington), a 53 year-old garbage man who aspires to someday being
promoted to truck driver. Trouble is, he's "colored," and
that relatively-lofty position has, to date, been strictly reserved
for whites. So, Troy and his BFF/co-worker Bono (Stephen Henderson)
have to settle for grumbling about the racism that has kept them at
the bottom of the totem pole.
Now
Troy didn't always have such modest dreams. In his youth, he'd
exhibited promise as a baseball player. However, his hope of turning
pro disappeared in a flash the day he was sent up the river for
committing a murder. He did still try out for the major leagues when
he was paroled at 40, but that belated attempt proved to be little
more than an exercise in futility.
As
a result, Troy tends to soak his woes in alcohol, drinking hard
liquor straight from the bottle. This doesn't sit well with his
long-suffering wife, Rose (Davis), who is understandably worried her
man might drink himself to death. The picture's other pivotal
characters include the couple's teenage son (Jovan Adepo), Troy's
trifling adult son (Hornsby) from his first marriage, and Troy's
mentally-challenged brother, Gabe (Williamson), a wounded World War
II vet left with a metal plate in his head.
The
plot thickens when Troy informs Rose that he not only has a mistress
but has knocked her up, to boot. Will this be the proverbial last
straw that finally breaks the back of their shaky relationship? After
all, putting up with an underachieving alcoholic is one thing, a
flagrant philander, quite another.
Reviving
familiar roles which are obviously second nature to them, veterans
Denzel and Viola again turn in emotionally-provocative performances.
A poignant period piece painting a plausible picture of black life in
the inner city prior to the advent of the Civil Rights Movement.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated
PG-13 for profanity, ethnic slurs, mature themes and sexual
references
Running time: 138
minutes
Distributor: Paramount
Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Extras: Feature
film in high definition; Expanding
the Audience: From Stage to Screen; The Company of Fences; Building
Fences: Denzel Washington; Playing the Part: Rose Maxson; and August
Wilson’s Hill District.
To
see a trailer for Fences, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2m6Jvp0bUw
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