Fences

Denzel Washington directs and stars in this multi-Oscar-nominated adaptation of August Wilson's iconic 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning play centered on a dysfunctional family. Set in Pittsburgh, PA, during the 1950s, Fences revolves around the relationship between a bitter, Negro League baseball player-turned-sanitation worker, 53-year-old Troy Maxon (Washington), and his long-suffering wife Rose (Viola Davis). Plus, there's Troy's best friend/co-worker (Stephen Henderson), brain-damaged brother (Mykelti Williamson), and adult son (Russell Hornsby) by another woman. When we first meet hyper-talkative Troy, he's riding on the back of a garbage truck, complaining that only whites get to be drivers, while blacks do the heavy lifting of trash cans. The main conflict here revolves around the tension between Troy, Rose, and their teenage son (Jovan Adepo), who is hoping for a football scholarship. Closely following Wilson's poetic text, Washington elicits insightful, intelligent, nuanced performances from his acting ensemble, although with the action primarily restricted to the yard of a two-story brick home, the film cannot escape its theatrical origins. Still, this is a formidable, character-driven drama. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes on “Expanding the Audience: From Stage to Screen” (9 min.), “The Company” (9 min.), “Building Fences: Denzel Washington” (7 min.), “Playing the Part: Rose Maxson” (7 min.), and “August Wilson's Hill District” location (6 min.), as well as bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Best Picture nominee.] (S. Granger)