One of these days I'm going to have to watch Denzel Washington's Fences a second time. This first time I was too busy being mesmerized by the knock-out performances: Washington as the wounded yet combative Troy Maxson; Viola Davis as the long-suffering Rose Lee Maxson; and so on. The whole movie feels perfectly designed for Oscar-winning performances. But, see, I think I need to watch it again so I can appreciate the style, Washington's use of blocking, and Charlotte Bruus Christensen's understated yet powerful cinematography. Visually the film is incredible, or at least as incredible as a film that takes place almost entirely in a single house can be. When I first heard about this film, it was while I was sitting in NYC's Metrograph where I overheard another critic who had attended an advance screening mention that Washington's performance paled in comparison to James Earl Jones' performance in the original 1987 Broadway run. He was apparently displeased with how once Washington started screaming it became "the Denzel show." Not having seen Jones' original performance, I can't comment on whether or not the critic was right in preferring it. But I do agree that sometimes Washington's performance came near to seeming silly and over-the-top. But it never QUITE got there.
8/10
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