The difference, of course, is that race is foregrounded. The hero/anti-hero is a black man hampered at every stage of his career because of the colour of his skin.

The setting is Pittsburgh in the 1950s. Troy Maxson (Washington) is a garbage collector. On the face of it, he is in control of his life. He owns his own house. He is happily married to Rose (Davis) and has a son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), who has prospects he never did. Troy works hard, gives his pay packet to Rose and gets drunk on Friday nights with his colleague and best friend, Jim (Stephen Henderson).

He revels in the power and respect he has in his own household and community. It doesn’t take long, though, for us to notice his suppressedrage and many resentments. Troy could have been a top baseball player but never made it to the major leagues because, he’s sure, he wasn’t white.

He bristles at the idea that, as a black man, he is not allowed to drive the garbage truck – but only to load the rubbish into it. His guilt about his brother, who was shot in the head in the Second World War and whose pension has allowed Troy to secure his home, is self-evident too.

We’re so used to seeing Denzel Washington in action movies that it is easy to forget his power and range as an actor. This is one of his most complex roles. He is playing a character who seems sympathetic and charismatic, exuding bonhomie in the early scenes,