Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Fences Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 8, 2017

Fences is a movie about boundaries. The process of building one with saw, wood, post digger, hammer, and nails is a recurring sight and source of discussion in the film, but so too, and more important to the story, are the metaphorical fences erected by a man who is at once both beaten down by life and blessed with the good things life has to offer. The literal and metaphorical fences mean different things to different people in the story, literally as a means of keeping things in and keeping things out, which often has a tie to the emotional boundaries that are erected and crumbled throughout the film as well. Denzel Washington both stars and directs in the film, based on the late Playwright August Wilson's stage production and subsequent screen adaptation. The film returns nearly all of its primary cast from the play's latest Broadway show for the film adaptation.

Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) is a garbage man in 1950s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, doing what he can to scrape by and live as comfortably as circumstance allows. His wife Rosie (Viola Davis) is his caring, goodhearted companion who looks beyond her husband's boozing and tendencies to outbursts and frank talk with his friend, Jim (Stephen Henderson). Troy has plenty of regrets in life, and many are holding him, and his family, back. He still laments his failure to crack into big league baseball because of the color of his skin. He believes he's more valuable to his company as a driver rather than a garbage collector. He's at odds with his eldest son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), a struggling musician. His other son Cory (Jovan Adepo), and his only child with Rosie, sees for himself a future in football, but Troy won't allow it. Tory's brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), a wounded war veteran, is mentally impaired, and Troy has financially benefited from his disability. As Troy faces his past demons, he manufactures more of his own as he lives on a dangerous path that could wipe out the good things that life has given him alongside his decades of hardship.

Fences tells the story of an imperfect man living in an imperfect world that has beaten him down and stripped away his will, or ability, to get back up. He puts on an outward façade of knowledge and of confidence gained from his trials and, occasionally, finds the humor in it all, but this is the story of personal deterioration, fear, and an inability to accept all of the good that life's dealt him at the same time. As the film, and as time, progresses, Troy sinks deeper into negativity, holding onto past wrongs while making new mistakes along the way. His friends warn him, his children are scared of him, and his wife grows ever distant despite her best efforts to remain a rock at his side. Troy challenges death itself -- he fears it, but knows its looms -- literally as he screams from his window on a particularly dark night and metaphorically as his personal barriers increase in size and number. It's a fascinating, if not heartbreaking and emotionally challenging, story. It's remarkably well done, too, insightful and honest, real and relatable, dissolving artificial barriers of time and place and telling a story of life, family, triumphs, tragedies, and self-made destruction that will resonate long after it ends.

The film's stage production roots are evident throughout. There are only two primary locations -- a postage-stamp sized backyard and a few home interiors -- that stage the bulk of the drama, which comes almost completely from conversation and a few character-defining and -evolving actions that result from conversation. The film's opening 20 minutes are remarkable. It's in many ways representative of what the entire film has on offer -- sharp dialogue and natural execution thereof -- but it's also, in some ways, dissimilar from what the rest of the movie holds. The open is buoyant and cheerful, hinting at Troy's demons but it's only after, as other characters are introduced and his history, flaws, mistakes, and character are fully revealed, that the film takes on its full dramatic shape. Yet no matter the dramatic challenges, the movie proves wildly successful in shaping it with flawless performances all around that elevate the material considerably and bring it the human depth and discovery it deserves. The film grows increasingly hard to watch for its ever-darkening themes, but its entirety is a pleasure considering its remarkable performances and deeply-rooted themes.

Fences Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fences features a pleasing 1080p transfer. The picture was shot on film rather than digital, and Paramount's presentation offers a richness in texture that's so often missing in many of today's digital shoots. There's a sense of organic, real, lived-in detail throughout the film, particularly in the backyard. The home's red brickwork, old chairs, planks of wood, leaves, and all sorts of odds and ends yield incredible details that don't simply reveal finer-point elements but rather invite and draw the audience into the location, critical to truly appreciate how the environment shapes the film. Facial close-ups are impressively complex as well. Pores, wrinkles, hair, even a bit of Rosie's makeup are very well defined at the intimate level while holding firm at medium distance; the film's tight confines generally don't allow for characters to be any more than a casual stone's throw from the camera, so high level detailing is almost always evident. Colors are fantastically reproduced. The film takes on a very neutral, very agreeable palette. Never overly punchy or dull, contrast never dialed in in any strange direction...the palette is lifelike and consistently so, a pleasure in exploring the red brick, natural greens, and various support shades around. Black levels are appropriately deep, most noticeable when Troy shouts at the rainy night sky in one of the film's key moments. Flesh tones appear accurate to the actors' natural complexions. No immediately evident source or encode flaws are apparent. This is a smart, satisfying Blu-ray presentation from Paramount.

Fences Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fences features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack, but the film's sonic needs are rather meager. Music, which is a bit sporadic in terms of when, but not how, it's utilized, is clear and airy, spreading effortlessly across the stage and delivering well-defined and lifelike notes as necessary. Light neighborhood atmospherics help set the stage and reinforce the film's time and place. A few little crashes, hits, and other light effects are presented well. The track has no need for any major effects; everything is rather reserved but handled with care. Dialogue, unsurprisingly given the film's stage roots, dominates the sonic landscape. Clarity, positioning, and prioritization are all good to go.

Fences Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Fences contains five featurettes. A UV/iTunes digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• Expanding the Audience: From Stage to Screen (1080p, 8:53): A look at the original play, its purpose and story, the film's cast and its performance in the stage play, editing, shooting locations, costumes, lighting, score, and more.
• The Company of Fences (1080p, 9:17): A closer look at reuniting the stage cast for the film and a few new faces, too; Wilson's screenplay; performances; the character and performance nuance the film medium allows; and more.
• Building Fences: Denzel Washington (1080p, 6:56): Washington's work as director and the qualities he brought to the film.
• Playing the Part: Rose Maxson (1080p, 6:57): An examination of Viola Davis' character and her performance.
• August Wilson's Hill District (1080p, 6:25): Shooting in one of Pittsburgh's iconic areas, the role it plays in the story and film, and the house that served as the film's primary shooting location.

Fences Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fences is one of the most emotionally engaging and purposeful films of 2016. Incredible character depth, obvious but complex allegory, amazing performances, and riveting character drama and dialogue drive the film well above so many more crude movies that rely on cinema trickery, not heartfelt human condition exploration, to mask empty-vessel storytelling. Not so here. This is storytelling at its finest and one of the most rewarding views in recent history. Fences the movie cannot escape the Fences stage production roots, but it doesn't matter: the film excels at exploring its character and the flawed human condition, engaging viewers with real dramatic heft rather than empty sight-and-sound shenanigans. Paramount's Blu-ray is excellent, boosting high-end video and audio along with a few good extras. Very highly recommended.