Oscars 2017: 20 Predicted Best Film Nominees Ranked Worst To Best

There's often a problem inherent with adapting stage plays: they can try too hard to force the geographical limits of the stage too hard, or else the limited dramatic space ends up feeling conceited and manipulated when translated out to the big screen. But then, such small focus comes with a greater potential for performances to shine, and that is absolutely the case with Fences.

Everybody already knows the power that Denzel Washington is capable of, and in his duel-role here of director and star he finds a perfect balance to capture a brilliant performance. He's not been this good for a long time - perhaps because his rising profile attracted him to starrier projects with less space to show off?

His is a performance of subtle depths, capturing beautifully an inner melancholy that makes him more than just a monster. And Viola Davis is similarly great (as you should expect): the pair wrestle chemistry from one another, creating a compelling, affecting dynamic for the heart of the story that is undoubtedly one of the best of the year.

It should be the kind of thing the Academy loves, even if the adaptation from stage to screen isn't quite as assured by Washington as his work in front of the camera.