The Fire Inside (2024) MGM/Drama RT: 109 minutes Rated PG-13 (some strong language, thematic elements, brief suggestive material) Director: Rachel Morrison Screenplay: Barry Jenkins Music: Tamar-kali Cinematography: Rina Yang Release date: December 25, 2024 (US) Cast: Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry, Olunike Adeliyi, De’Adre Aziza, Jazmin Headley, Idrissa Sanogo Bamba, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Sekhai Smith, Sarah Allen, Lanette Ware.
Rating: *** ½
I expected The Fire Inside to be just another underdog sports drama in which an athlete defies the odds and proves herself to the world. It’s that, but not just. It’s so much more.
Rachel Morrison, the cinematographer who worked with Ryan Coogler on Fruitvale Station and Black Panther, makes her feature film directorial debut with The Fire Inside. It’s the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing and the first American to win consecutive gold medals in the sport (in 2012 and 2016). She’s played here by Ryan Destiny (Grown-ish) in a star-making performance.
Born and raised in Flint, MI, Claressa finds a coach, mentor and father figure in Jason Crutchfield (Henry, the Spider-Verse films) who agrees to train the feisty 11YO after she shows him her stuff at the local gym where he’s a volunteer coach. She’s tough but vulnerable as shown by her backing away when he tries to touch her. She comes from a poor, broken home with two younger siblings, a father in prison and a drug addict mother (Adeliyi, Saw 3D). There’s hardly ever food in the house and Mom often neglects her children to entertain guests. Things reach a point where Claressa goes to live with Jason and his family after her mother kicks her out.
Although there’s no money in it for him, Jason trains her rigorously for the 2012 Summer Olympics in China. Claressa isn’t doing it just for the glory of winning. She wants to win for the money that will come from the endorsements that will surely follow should she take home the gold. She wants to be able to help her family. She wins as you already know, but the offers don’t come. Jason tries to help, but he’s out of his depth in this area. Also, nobody’s interested because women’s boxing is not a glamorous sport and Shields isn’t exactly womanly. During an interview, she admits that she likes beating people up and making them cry. That’s not what potential sponsors want to hear.
I may as well admit it. I get suckered in by inspirational sports dramas like Rocky, Chariots of Fire and Remember the Titans. You can add The Fire Inside to the list. It’s a gritty drama brimming with realism. Morrison never attempts to make poverty look pretty. Claressa doesn’t have it easy, before or after her 2012 victory. She still struggles to pay bills and help care for her sister’s baby. What gets her through it is her tough, fighting spirit. At the same time, she’s angry and bitter about getting the short end of the stick. She earned that gold medal. She deserves the same opportunities afforded to other athletes. She’s especially livid about male athletes receiving stipends three times bigger than those offered to females. This becomes part of her fight as she prepares to train for the 2016 games.
In the lead role, Destiny does a phenomenal job. She perfectly captures the fire inside Claressa, aka T-Rex because of her short arms. As Jason puts it, she “ain’t got reach but is as fierce as they come.” She proves this time and time again, inside the ring and out. She also shows Claressa’s strong sense of family in the way she cradles her baby nephew and takes care of Mom’s bills. Equally great is Henry as Coach Jason, a caring coach who refuses to ease up on her. He works hard trying to balance his day job as a cable guy and his own family while getting Claressa ready for the Olympics. It’s heartbreaking when he can’t join her in China because of the rules about sanctioned coaches only. The two actors have marvelous chemistry whether it’s Jason making sure she keeps her eyes on the prize to them having a fight over his failing to get her any endorsements. The love and concern is always there.
My only complaint about The Fire Inside is the abrupt ending. I thought they would show Claressa training and competing in the 2016 games, but it ends before that. Instead, we’re told the outcome by way of end titles. I would have liked to have seen more.
Still, The Fire Inside is a great movie. It’s not too heavy-handed. It’s well-acted by all. The screenplay by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) is intelligent and well-written. Sure, it’s rife with clichés, but show me an underdog sports drama that isn’t. The difference is that Morrison makes it all work. This is as solid a directorial debut as I’ve ever seen. I really hope audiences turn up for The Fire Inside. It’s one of the great ones.
