The Fire Inside

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))

The Fire Inside (2024) is a movie my wife and I saw in theaters this evening. The storyline follows Claressa "T-Rex" Shields as she navigates a challenging upbringing in Flint, Michigan. When she discovers boxing and begins chasing her Olympic dreams, we witness the struggles of balancing discipline with the demands of family, romantic interests, and a coach who both loves her and pushes her to greatness. The question remains: can she live up to her extraordinary potential?

This film is directed by Rachel Morrison in her major motion picture debut and stars Ryan Destiny (Star), Brian Tyree Henry (Bullet Train), De'Adre Aziza (She's Gotta Have It), and Olunike Adeliyi (Saw 3D).

The storyline, subplots, and characters are gripping and larger than life. Claressa's tragic upbringing, combined with the harsh realities of Flint, Michigan, makes her an easy character to root for. Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry deliver standout performances, with authentic dialogue and strong chemistry. The writing is better than expected, offering compelling storytelling about family dynamics, the challenges faced by women in sports, and the importance of self-worth.

In conclusion, The Fire Inside is an inspiring and impactful film about a remarkable individual overcoming impossible odds. I would score this a 7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

I'm not sure how much of this movie is factual and how much is fictionalized for dramatic effect, but I found it to be impactful. I don't follow boxing, so I wasn't familiar with this athlete previously. The story is multi-faceted, following not just her journey as an athlete, but also focusing on the relationships she has with her family and her coach. It's incredible what she overcame, and even more incredible that she hardly got any recognition for it, even after winning the olympic gold. This movie shows the obstacles women face in sports considered "men's sports". It was saddening to see that the medal was meaningless in her personal life for so long (this does eventually change, with a LOT of time). This movie also portrays the struggles of growing up in a toxic household. One thing that did bother me was that Claressa (in the movie) chose to stand by her family repeatedly despite the fact that she was clearly abused. Her real life relationships with them may have been much more nuanced, but in the movie, all we really see is neglect until the very last portion of the movie, where there is more understanding and love. To me it felt like she was throwing away her chance at a better life to support her abusers. Note this is just my perception, which may be biased wrongly. Overall, I think that this is an important movie to see - one that deals with gender inequality, gender norms, poverty, trauma, neglect, and grit.

Honestly, I feel ashamed that I've never heard of Claressa Shields. How does she win two back to back and not become a household name? Yet, the runners, gymnastics, and swimmers easily do. This just proves women have a long way to go, because if this was a man I'm sure it would be different. Than again, I couldn't tell you a single successful Olympic boxer. Maybe I'm just completly in the dark about a number of sports. Whatever it is, this movie pointed out a real problem that's out there.

As far as a sports movie goes, this one is interesting in the fact it's not a lead up for her to win gold, instead that's just the half way point. This is more about the struggle of what came after for Claressa after becoming a world champion. It was sad and disgraceful.

I loved this movie a lot, it's worth your time and is beautifully done. The acting of Ryan Destiny and Brian Henry is phenomenal!

This was AMC Screen Unseen on December 16th. A wonderful suprise for my first screen unseen.

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.