The Fire Inside

by Mike McGranaghan

The Fire Inside is not a conventional sports picture, but that doesn’t become apparent until halfway through. The first hour of this true story focuses on Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields (Ryan Destiny). She hails from Flint, Michigan, and, like her town, her home life is in shambles, given that her mother is more interested in drugs and men than her own daughter. Claressa finds solace at the local gym, where former boxer Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry) trains her in fighting. Over the span of a few years, she becomes the first woman in American history to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.

This section of the film is rousing, although it admittedly has to rush through a lot of developments to make way for the second hour. That’s where The Fire Inside really hits its stride. Despite having a gold medal, no endorsement offers come for Claressa, who goes right back to living in poverty and obscurity. Feeling this is unfair – not to mention sexist – she works to find a way to earn the respect male athletes and female athletes in more “feminine” sports receive.

The movie operates from a great premise, which is that Claressa must tap into the same unrelenting drive she uses in the ring to achieve equal status with other Olympians. This fight, however, has different rules and different obstacles. Director Rachel Morrison and writer Barry Jenkins zoom in on the double standard that exists. If you’re a female gymnast and you win the gold, you become a national hero who gets their picture on a Wheaties box. But a female boxer, who trains just as hard and makes just as much of a personal commitment, is, at best, viewed as having been moderately successful in a traditionally male-dominated sport.

Ryan Destiny is the exact right actress to bring Claressa Shields’ story to the screen. She’s 100% authentic in the boxing sequences. More importantly, she makes us believe that the character is as determined to win this battle as she is to win every match. The actress conveys the burning desire to beat the odds. Claressa is, frankly, pissed off, and that’s the mode where she functions most efficiently.

Scenes between Claressa and Jason have real emotional power. He was the first person to believe in her, so their bond is tight. Brian Tyree Henry is outstanding as the coach, elevating what could have been routine pep-talk scenes into moments that contain genuine insight into the coach/athlete relationship. Even if you don’t remotely care about boxing, The Fire Inside works as a character drama. Thanks to the performances, you easily root for these two people to change the system.

The dialogue is occasionally a bit cliched, and there’s an annoying supporting character – an Olympic advisor Jason is acquainted with – whose sole purpose is to deliver clunky exposition. Those factors limit the movie’s impact. Only slightly, though. Claressa’s journey to the Olympics and then to post-Olympic glory is captivating enough to leave you feeling uplifted and inspired by the end.

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