Honestly, if you haven’t seen the Fences movie since it dropped back in 2016, you’re missing out on how it has aged like a fine wine. It isn’t just a "film." It’s basically a masterclass in how to take a stage play and make it feel like it’s breathing right in your living room. Denzel Washington didn't just act in this; he directed it with this weird, beautiful intensity that stays with you long after the credits roll.
Troy Maxson is a lot. He’s a garbage man in 1950s Pittsburgh, a former Negro League baseball star who never got his shot at the big leagues because of the color barrier. He’s loud. He’s charming. But he’s also deeply, deeply broken. Denzel plays him like a man who is constantly fighting a ghost that only he can see.
What Most People Get Wrong About Troy Maxson
A lot of folks walk away from the Fences movie thinking Troy is just a "bad guy" or a "villain." That’s too simple. Life isn't a cartoon.
Troy is a provider. He’s there every day. He brings the paycheck home. He’s "there," which, for a man whose own father was a nightmare, is a huge step up. But he’s also suffocating his son, Cory. He stops Cory from playing college football because he’s terrified the boy will get his heart broken by the same systemic racism that crushed Troy’s baseball dreams. Or maybe—and this is the part that hurts—he just can't stand the idea of his son being better than him.
It’s that "two strikes" mentality. Troy tells Cory, "You born with two strikes on you before you come to the plate." He’s not wrong about the world, but he’s wrong about how to live in it. He uses his responsibility as a shield to hide his own failures, including an affair that eventually tears the house apart.
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The Viola Davis Factor
We have to talk about Rose. If Denzel is the fire, Viola Davis is the hearth.
There’s that scene. You know the one. The "I’ve been standing right here with you" speech. It’s arguably one of the greatest pieces of acting in the last twenty years. Most actors try to look "pretty" when they cry. Not Viola. She gives you the snot, the raw voice, the shaking hands. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for a reason. She reminds us that while Troy was "planting a seed" in another woman, Rose was the one making sure the ground they actually lived on didn't wash away.
Why Fences Still Matters in 2026
The Fences movie feels even more relevant today because we’re still talking about generational trauma. How do we stop passing our parents' baggage down to our kids?
August Wilson, who wrote the original play and the screenplay, was obsessed with this idea. He wanted a Black director for this film—not just because of skin color, but because of culture. Denzel understood the rhythm of the porch. He understood the way the gin bottle sits on the table. He didn't try to "open up" the movie by adding car chases or big city shots. Most of it happens in that cramped backyard.
The fence itself is the big metaphor, obviously. Rose wants it built to keep the people she loves inside, safe and close. Troy keeps stalling on building it. He sees fences as things that keep him out of the world he deserved. By the time the fence is finally finished, he’s successfully locked himself in a prison of his own making.
The "Stagy" Criticism
Some critics complained that the Fences movie felt too much like a play.
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"It’s just people talking," they’d say.
Well, yeah. But listen to the talk. It’s poetic. It’s rhythmic. It’s got a beat to it, like jazz. Denzel and the cinematographer, Charlotte Bruus Christensen, used tight shots to make you feel the claustrophobia of that Pittsburgh life. When Troy is ranting, the camera is right in his face. You can see the sweat. You can hear the gravel in his voice. That’s not "stagy"—that’s intimate.
The Legacy of the Pittsburgh Cycle
This film was just one part of August Wilson's "Century Cycle"—ten plays, each covering a different decade of Black life in America. Denzel has made it his mission to produce all of them.
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- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (The 1920s)
- The Piano Lesson (The 1930s)
- Fences (The 1950s)
Each one is a piece of a larger puzzle. If you haven't seen the others, go watch them. They all share that same DNA—characters who are larger than life but trapped by circumstances they can’t quite control.
Breaking Down the Family Dynamics
- Troy and Bono: The friendship is the only place where Troy is truly relaxed, but even that sours when Troy’s infidelity comes to light. Bono is the conscience Troy ignores.
- Gabriel: Troy’s brother, who has a metal plate in his head from the war. Troy used Gabriel’s disability money to buy the house. The guilt from that is the foundation the whole family is built on. It’s literally "blood money."
- Lyons: The older son who just wants to be a musician. Troy views him as a beggar. Lyons views Troy as a man who doesn't understand that life needs more than just a paycheck.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re going to sit down with the Fences movie again, keep an eye on these specific things:
- Watch the background noise. You can hear the sounds of the neighborhood—the kids, the trucks, the life happening outside the fence that Troy is shut off from.
- Notice the baseball metaphors. Troy uses them for everything: death, his marriage, his career. It’s his only language for success and failure.
- Track Rose’s wardrobe. As the movie progresses and the marriage frays, her colors shift. It’s subtle, but it tells the story of her spirit.
Don't just watch it for the "acting." Watch it for the history. Watch it to understand why your own parents might be the way they are. Sometimes the people who love us the most are also the ones who don't know how to let us grow.
To get the most out of your viewing, try watching it alongside Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. It provides a fascinating contrast in how Denzel approaches Wilson's language as a producer versus a director. Pay close attention to how the "confined space" in both films creates a pressure-cooker environment that forces the characters to reveal their ugliest truths.