Fences Movie Analysis
Lindsey Gilmore
Professor Verk
ENGL 230C-04
4/10/2017
Film Review: Fences A movie like Fences only comes once in a great while. It is sort of an unconventional movie, unlike most. It is filmed almost as though it is a play, which is exactly how this film got its origins. Written by August Wilson in 1985, Fences started off as a Broadway play that ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama in 1987. This drama focuses on exploring the African-American experience and looks deep into the heart of race relations. Arguably the playwright's most renowned work, Wilson's drama Fences focuses on Troy Maxson, a restless trash-collector and former baseball player, who is played by actor Denzel Washington. Washington’s perfect as Troy, a frustrated, …show more content…
It’s Friday and it’s payday. As their shift hauling trash ends, Troy and best friend Bono do what they do every Friday, sit in Troy’s backyard and weave intricate, bawdy stories, half-drunk bottle of gin in hand, before being joined by Troy’s wife of 18 years, Rose. Rose, who is played by actress Viola Davis, loves Troy but also part-despises him for his mean-streak. She’s the only one he consistently treats with tenderness, but when he betrays her, Davis’s fury and eventual empathy for Troy becomes stunning to watch. As good as Denzel is to watch, Davis is quite the match for him. For a few shattering moments, when she talks about her family of half-brothers and half-sisters, it drags the fallout from America’s racist past right into the light of the present. Their performances combined are beyond exceptional.
The family is rounded out by Cory, played by Jovan Adepo, who is Troy and Rose’s son, a promising high school football star who can’t do right by his dad no matter how hard he tries. Along with Cory, there are other supporting actors who play a role in this film. Troy’s friend Bono, played by Stephen Henderson, serves as the voice of reason and mirror to Troy’s past. Mykelti Williamson plays Troy’s brother, Gabriel, whose war injury has left him with a brain injury in which Troy has taken advantage of. And Troy’s son from a previous relationship, Lyons, played by Russell Hornsby is another son pining for
Professor Verk
ENGL 230C-04
4/10/2017
Film Review: Fences A movie like Fences only comes once in a great while. It is sort of an unconventional movie, unlike most. It is filmed almost as though it is a play, which is exactly how this film got its origins. Written by August Wilson in 1985, Fences started off as a Broadway play that ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama in 1987. This drama focuses on exploring the African-American experience and looks deep into the heart of race relations. Arguably the playwright's most renowned work, Wilson's drama Fences focuses on Troy Maxson, a restless trash-collector and former baseball player, who is played by actor Denzel Washington. Washington’s perfect as Troy, a frustrated, …show more content…
It’s Friday and it’s payday. As their shift hauling trash ends, Troy and best friend Bono do what they do every Friday, sit in Troy’s backyard and weave intricate, bawdy stories, half-drunk bottle of gin in hand, before being joined by Troy’s wife of 18 years, Rose. Rose, who is played by actress Viola Davis, loves Troy but also part-despises him for his mean-streak. She’s the only one he consistently treats with tenderness, but when he betrays her, Davis’s fury and eventual empathy for Troy becomes stunning to watch. As good as Denzel is to watch, Davis is quite the match for him. For a few shattering moments, when she talks about her family of half-brothers and half-sisters, it drags the fallout from America’s racist past right into the light of the present. Their performances combined are beyond exceptional.
The family is rounded out by Cory, played by Jovan Adepo, who is Troy and Rose’s son, a promising high school football star who can’t do right by his dad no matter how hard he tries. Along with Cory, there are other supporting actors who play a role in this film. Troy’s friend Bono, played by Stephen Henderson, serves as the voice of reason and mirror to Troy’s past. Mykelti Williamson plays Troy’s brother, Gabriel, whose war injury has left him with a brain injury in which Troy has taken advantage of. And Troy’s son from a previous relationship, Lyons, played by Russell Hornsby is another son pining for