The Fence (1994)

His only crime was trying to survive. Locked up since the age of 15, Terry Griff (Billy Wirth) has known nothing but the harsh realities of incarceration. Now at the age of 29, he is up for early release and finds a new beginning in Jackie (Erica Gimpel). His happiness is short-lived when Terry, framed by a dishonest parole officer, is thrown into a world of corruption, danger and violence that he never believed could have existed on the other side of "The Fence."

Disappointed

I was really hoping this movie would be good because I love Billy Wirth and his work. I have to admit I was disappointed in the whole movie. While the acting wasn't bad, I just didn't get the sense that things mattered as much to people as they should have. The love affair between Billy's character and the sister-in-law wasn't developed nearly enough. I just didn't feel for these people like I wanted to. In my opinion, not enough attention was paid to character development. April 3, 2004

Unable to Escape Your Past

The Fence (1994)

Starring Billy Wirth as Griff put in jail at 15 for defending his mother from an abusive father. Locked away his youth is wasted in the correctional system. Given a chance to be paroled, with a close inmate who has become a father figure to him (Paul Benjamin). When an overdose kills his mentor Griff gets out in the real world, a place where he has never been in 18 years. He tries to bring comfort to the family and becomes involved with the sister in law. (Erica Gimpel.)

Hoping to have a normal life and love for the first time in his life only to have inmates from his pass show up along with a parole officer who is crooked.

He is doomed the minute he leaves prison. I felt it is the best work Mr. Wirth has done. The childlike expressions to seeing a baby for the first time, just the look on his face as air blows by, finding love and someone to care for him... just to get taken down and destroyed. August 13, 2001

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