If you didn't know already, by the time Troy (Denzel Washington) gives his first monologue while sharing a Friday afternoon drink in the backyard with a friend (Stephen McKinley Henderson) you know this one is going to be filled with dramatic dialogue and one torrent of a character. As an adapted stage play, the vast majority of the plot takes place at the Maxson's home in Pittsburgh. In the 1950s and although Troy was once a phenomenal baseball player, his prime was spent in the "Negro League," as the MLB had yet to be integrated. Troy takes this bitterness out on his youngest son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), who is a promising football player good enough to receive a college scholarship. In one of the least prescient takes of all time, Troy, at least ostensibly, believes that athletics will not get black men anywhere in life. Troy is a charming bastard who belittles his sons (Russell Horsnby playing "Lyons," a jazz musician and son from a different woman) in the cloak of teaching them life lessons. Rose (Viola Davis), Troy's wife, is a sweetheart and foil to Troy's overbearingness. Washington and Davis are acting titans who apparently played the characters 114 times on stage — no wonder their chemistry is pristine. Mykelti Williamson as Gabriel, Troy's brother who became mentally disabled while serving in WWII, would've stolen the show from lesser lead performances. His rubber-band presence in and out of the house and neighborhood leads to an emotional and well-deserved ending.

I loved this moving, I thought it to be in the top 10 movies I have loved. You owe it to yourself to see this movie, such awesome acting and screenplay. So much to learn from this movie. Truly enjoyed watching this, and I think I want to watch it again.

Interesting August Wilson-written film. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are magnificent together.

The best acting performance from Viola Davis!

Boooorrrring. Fell asleep twice watching it.

A story that doesn't pull any punches, Fences is a monumental achievement in writing for a cast of characters that are breathed so full of life. I don't typically fall for the monologue-like nature of Fences' dialogue, but Washington and Davis leap off the screen embodying their characters like almost nothing I've seen before. The movie does a great job to not fill air with anything unnecessary while building the tension between each of the characters so steadily until the wildly powerful final scene. Fences ultimately celebrates humanity, even though you may spend a fair amount of its runtime shouting at your screen in frustration over exactly how flawed Troy's (Washington) humanity really is.

2nd movie watched recently in which I cannot really find fault - despite its over 2 hours and my being tired, its essentially 1 location and a few number of protagonists, it was a gripping tale of the human condition in general and of that of Afro Americans in mid 20th century which doesn't seem dated at all. Felt like a work of passion for actor and, in this case, director Denzel Washington. Unsurprisingly it's an adaptation of an award-winning play, which means characterization and dialogues are the key to its success. No wonder Viola Davis won an Academy Award!

5 years ago- The film suffers from a lack of plot, a slow pace, and an overwhelming amount of dialogue but is saved by the stand out, oscar worthy performance from Viola Davis

There were some strong performances by some of the actors, but the film was really weak on plot.

Simple and profound life at the same time.

I rarely say this about films and there is a very short list that I would say deserve a 10/10 rating (5/5 stars on Rotten Tomatos); however "Fences" hit all marks for me. Beautiful acting and directing all playing their part in telling this story. Viola Davis was a treasure. I could not help feeling moved and shedding tears when she completes her passionate monologue after the revelation. All of sudden I was the one scorned, I felt the pain and hurt of her character. Denzel Washington and the other cast respectively play their roles with mastery. I really could not find anything I did not like about this film. Probably the only thing that bothered me was a drinking scene early in the film where they continuously drink from a bottle and the bottle never gets lower in content. A minor set overlook that wouldn't be factored into final review, I just wanted to mention how perfect I found this film in that that was the only aspect I didn't like. On a final note, I feel bad for Denzel as director of this film because how can he ever top this masterpiece?

Denzel is remarkable how he does'nt win and award for his work is mind boggling. I tell people all the time the key to any movie, t.v. show etc.. is you must have actors who you believe is the character their playing. I have watched some actors and all i see is them reading a script. Then you watch Denzel and Viola and you are caught up in the show because you don't see them you see thier characters they bring them to life and you are drawn in. I can't say one bad thing about this show it should win every award hands down excellent perfomance from the whole cast. Note: I did not name everyone because i wanted to keep this brief but the whole cast was great.

One of those movies that gets better and better every time you watch it. Some things in there to make you think. Brilliant work by the whole cast…you're never left feeling. Like someone else could've done the parts better. Denzel was so good at portrayed his flawed character Troy, that the industry punished him in real life.

Powerful, Denzel and viola Davis both have stellar performances, I dare anyone to watch this film with out being moved

10/10 Fences, Some are meant to keep others out, but this one is supposed to keep people in, Fences (2016) is an adaptation of a play about Troy, doing his best to maintain his simple and hard working life, as the world around him slowly brings him down and changing due to his different views and perspectives of life. As the Film went On it slowly grew More and More on me even though the character of Troy isn't The Main Plot of This Story is Simply a Long Conversation with the Character Troy, and how his shortcomings in Baseball, make him fear for his sons, constantly holding them back in fear of their failure, and as the story unfolds many revelations about him and his past come out. The Acting Performances of Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, and Cory's Character all play off of each other so well, making a concerned and broken family fell real, with a big emphasis on the lighting, and how many of the camera shots emphasis on that background to make the atmosphere feel overall griddy and an overall well rounded Story, that is very relatable to many people, as this is the reality for some, and a realization for some.

Brilliant! An all time great.

Loved this movie. It definitely had a very slow start, but it fit the bill for any other August Wilson screenplays. The character development and the turmoil between the characters was often heart wrenching to watch. But that final scene was the best scene in the whole movie when Gabe opens up heavens gates.

It wouldn't matter if he didn't live in an age of rampant type-casting. Denzel Washington is without doubt one of the greatest actors to ever live. Remember how menacing and terrifying he was in "Training Day." On the other hand, his characters are the epitome of good judgment, compassion, and truth in movies like the under-rated "Crimson Tide." Here, Washington plays Troy Maxson, a tough, struggling, and wounded father, husband, and discriminated-against garbage collector. Virtually the entire movie is set in the backyard of this flawed patriarch's home, or in the home itself. The movie, based as it is on a play in which most of the main cast starred, remains true to its dramatic roots. A physical fence is present in most of the scenes of the movie. Maxson's wife Rose, played with true brilliance by Viola Davis, wants him to put up a fence around their home. Gradually, we learn that Maxson is a very flawed human being, and that he is cheating on his wife, who clearly loves him, body and soul, despite his significant flaws. In one critical scene, Maxson's coworker, played by Stephen Henderson, warns him gently that if he doesn't stop, he is putting his wife's wellbeing and their very household in jeopardy. He says that fences aren't just built to keep people out; he feels that Rose wants the fence built do keep him in--safe with her, together. But fences serve another purpose, too: they divide. In particular, there is a pair of heartbreaking scenes set by the fence involving Maxson and his teenage son that will resonate with most adolescents and their parents. At issue in one: the boy doesn't want to help his father build the fence; and in the other, that the boy is alienated by his father's adultery and strict ways. A confrontation ensues, with a wooden baseball bat between their struggling bodies. Fences is a movie that touches the heart, that makes you think, that makes you regret. Watch it, remember it, and meditate on it as you think of the fences you've built, or haven't, in your own life.

UPPER ECHELON OF OSCAR FILMS The setting, the character development, the actors and the storyline all coalese to make a movie that is a true work of art. It has something to say...and it will stay with you long after the movie ends.

This movie shows the impact of having a father present in your life, positive or negative.