The Fire Inside

Okay, so you've seen stories like this before, and this one here is based on an actual person and real life events.

This is the story of Claressa Shields, American female Olympic boxer and eventual professional.

Sadly, and somewhat ashamedly, I don't remember her or the events portrayed mostly here in this movie and around the 2012 Olympics in London.

I don't.

But you see, I don't fancy women's boxing.

As a matter of fact, here quite recently during the record breaking livestream broadcast of the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, I watched every single fight on the undercard and the title fight itself, all the way through.

But when the women came on, I stopped watching momentarily, and took that as my opportunity to take a break.

I guess I'm part of the problem as addressed in this film.

I can't help it. I don't like watching women hitting each other, or just women getting hit in general.

I just don't like it. I don't find enjoyment in it.

But I did enjoy Million Dollar Baby years ago.

And I love, love, love the sport of boxing.

Men boxing.

Lifelong fan.

And I love boxing movies.

This is a good one.

Also a good American success story.

All of the actors are excellent here.

The direction and cinematography are all great.

Most of all, and best of all, this movie makes me want to watch Claressa Shields fight.

The real Claressa Shields. I'd watch that now.

I'm just sorry I haven't started following her sooner than this.

I'm a week and three days late seeing this sports biopic, so I contemplated whether I should write a proper review. However, I noticed that only 19 people had reviewed this film on IMDb at the time of writing, which isn't even mentioning its $2M US box office opening. I know a weak opening weekend doesn't mean a film will flop. Look at the recently released "Mufasa: The Lion King" for proof. With that in mind, I want to write a review to encourage you to see it. Sure, this Christmas movie season was competitive, to say the least, with Mufasa, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," and "Nosferatu" being the three top players. Admittedly, for the latter two films, it's easy to see those instead, so I'll recommend this with a bit of an unfortunate caveat: after you see both Sonic and "Nosferatu," see "The Fire Inside."

I want to start with the only semi-negative before fully praising everything else about this film. I won't give any spoilers, but a scene towards the end dares to ruin the film's momentum.

Okay, so let's begin the positives with the acting. Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry deliver potent performances as real-life female boxer Claressa Shields and her trainer Jason Crutchfield. Their dynamic and interactions are the emotional centerpiece of the entire experience, and it works! I've seen and enjoyed Henry in other films, so I knew he'd be entertaining playing Crutchfield. This film seems to be Destiny's first major release, which means we'll see more of her in the following years if her performance as Shields is any indication.

Next, for a directorial debut, Rachel Morrison impresses. Morrison's work enhances the film's dramatic undertones and makes the boxing sequences more compelling and gripping than they have any right to be. It helps that she is bringing to life a stellar Barry Jenkins screenplay.

I'm still avoiding spoilers, so I'll be vague for the following compliment. Although this is a true story, I appreciated how based in reality this film is. I specifically respected how they showcased the indirect prejudice against female athletes in other aspects of the industry, portraying how boxing may be more than the sport itself.

Rapid time progression is a biopic staple. In my review of "A Complete Unknown," I stated how I'm starting to take issue with that. After watching "The Fire Inside," I now believe that issue was exclusive to that Bob Dylan biopic that I still think is good. I felt that that film didn't handle time progression well, with it unexpectedly skipping over periods with no indication of when, making characters feel inconsistent with how they were minutes or, in some cases, seconds earlier. "The Fire Inside" makes it obvious when time skips, even if one transition is somewhat subtle, and the characters remain consistent.

Overall, I knew that I'd love "The Fire Inside." I was looking forward to it, but life is life, so I had to wait a while. I can comfortably say it was worth the wait, and I highly encourage you to check it out before it leaves theaters. Once it goes to streaming, it'll be an undeniable hit, but this movie deserves to be successful. If I couldn't save "Saturday Night" or "Werewolves," the least I can do is give "The Fire Inside" a fighting chance. I know I'm one reviewer, but that can be all the difference.

Technically, the acting, directing, screenplay, and well-utilized runtime make the technical score a 10/10.

For the enjoyment score, this film never bored me, had many funny moments, and Claressa Shields was a captivating lead character. Brian Tyree Henry was just as great, the boxing scenes were stellar, and the time progression wasn't annoying. This film deserves a 10/10 enjoyment score. Please don't let down this champ!

When I first encountered this film, I had no inkling that it was about Claressa Shields. My introduction to her was through some Love & Hip Hop drama with Papoose and Remy Ma. However, upon immersing myself in The Fire Inside, it became evident that Shields is a force to be reckoned with, both inside and outside the ring. This movie, with its unique perspective, delves deep into the challenges of gender disparities in boxing and the arduous journey to the Olympics. It's a true underdog story that delivers a powerful punch of inspiration, leaving you with a renewed sense of determination.

Ryan Destiny came in swinging as Claressa, nailing the role with precision. You can tell she put in the work, which shows in those solid boxing scenes-they give just enough to hook you, letting your imagination fill in the gaps for the rest. Brian Tyree Henry played the role of coach and mentor like a true corner man, offering steady guidance and grit throughout the film

This movie certainly packs a punch. Unlike most 'based on a true story' films that stick to predictable formulas, The Fire Inside manages to break the mold. It skillfully weaves in drama, character growth, and just the right mix of struggle and triumph. It's a breath of fresh air in the boxing film genre, offering a unique blend of heart and history.

Final verdict? A strong 4 out of 5-it's a title fight worth watching!

5.5 STARS - The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa Shields, American Olympic gold medalist for women's boxing. It was the first feature film for director Rachel Morrison, and her lack of experience in that department might have been a factor for the negatives about this. It also didn't help that the writing wasn't as solid as it could have been. This movie was ... okay in that I didn't hate it, but there were things that really held it back from a higher rating for me. The first half of the movie sped through her life and lacked the underpinnings of building a strong connection with the character. There were some glimmers of promise here and there, but for the most part it felt like this didn't know what type of movie it wanted to be. Family drama? Rags to riches? Boxing/sports film? Coming of age? It also felt like an amateurish production that didn't start to get more engaging for me until about an hour in - *after* it showed her winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 (up until that point, it felt like everything with her story was on fast-forward), where we got to see the difficulties she had trying to turn her win into something that could be financially beneficial for her and her struggling, dysfunctional family. She was in for a rude awakening when she discovered that women's boxing just wasn't where a lot of spectator interest, media attention, and brand endorsements were to be found. She was also operating under the misguided notion that women athletes in a sport that isn't hugely popular as a whole (women's boxing) should be compensated in the same way as men in a sport that is much more popular (men's boxing). Basic economics just don't work that way. (Looks like she eventually figured how to make her talents work in a more lucrative profession - MMA, which is what she's doing now, so good for her on that.) She also came across as hugely ungrateful most of the time for the sacrifices her coach was making on her behalf. It didn't help in the likability department that she was portrayed as someone who enjoyed boxing only because she liked to beat people up (shades of a young Mike Tyson, anyone???). The acting in here was fine, so any complaints I have about The Fire Inside have nothing to do with that. Brian Tyree Henry was great (as he always is) in the role of Claressa's coach, and Ryan Destiny turned in an impressive performance (despite the muddled source material she had to work with). It was also impressive to see how convincingly she looked and acted the part of someone almost half her age. The writing and direction in this movie just didn't present us with a very likable character and seems to have distorted the reality of her life. In all honesty, Claressa Fields' Wikipedia page is more interesting (and awe-inspiring) than what we were given in this movie. It would have likely worked better as a documentary to help give us a more accurate, personable, and interesting version of the real person. The Fire Inside comes to theaters on December 25th. Video review may or may not be coming.

Cards on the table. The only way viewers are going to connect with this excellent film, and enjoy it, is by understanding this is not a sports movie, and it is absolutely not "about" boxing. This film had a troubled history, and it shows. Stars came and left. One studio dropped it and another picked it up. The name was changed. There were delays. The big takeaway is that, after all is said and done, the boxing scenes, the ins and outs of the sport, became an afterthought. This is a film about personal growth, ambition, reality, and making the hard choices. And, it succeeds nicely in that category. But a boxing film? Not really. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))