A grandiloquent, resentful ex-Negro leagues ballplayer (Denzel Washington), deemed too old for the big leagues following integration, works his Pittsburgh garbage route while thwarting his son's chances to play college football and causing extreme grief to his patient and loving wife (Viola Davis). In bringing August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play to the screen, a work that Davis and himself helped revive on Broadway, the smartest choice Washington makes is apparently remaining faithful to Wilson's words and not opening up the material too much for the screen. While his own performance often grows laborious and redundant, it is impressively polished and Davis contributes another powerful turn among a solid supporting cast.
*** 1/2 out of ****
