The Fire Inside: Film Review
The Fire Inside seems like it’s going to be your average sports biopic – until a certain point where it becomes totally unique and very interesting.
The film tells the story of Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields (Ryan Destiny), a teenager from Flint, Michigan who becomes the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing at the London 2012 Games.
Most sports biopics end with the climactic win but The Fire Inside bucks this trend by the win happening in the middle of the story. It follows a relatively formulaic path up until that point but from there on, it is fresh, compelling and eye-opening. You’d expect a gold medal winner to be inundated with sponsorship and endorsement offers but nothing comes, leaving her in exactly the same place as she was before. It’s enraging to see Shields not getting what she has earned simply because she’s a female champ in what is traditionally a male sport. I’ve never seen that part of the story told on screen before so I found it very interesting.
One of the highlights of the film is Shields’ close bond with her coach and secondary father figure Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry). He looks out for her when her own parents can’t and goes above and beyond to help her, to his own detriment financially. He understands her and knows how to coach her better than anyone else. My favourite scene is a juicy argument between them which is well-written, well acted and extremely satisfying.
Destiny’s performance is really impressive and I’m glad she has been recognised for some breakthrough actor awards. Her physical work is just as strong as her emotional. Shields puts up a hard exterior but there’s a vulnerability there too. Her family is relying on her to bring home the money and that’s a lot of responsibility for a teenager.
The Fire Inside, directed by DP Rachel Morrison, is a by-the-numbers sports movie until halfway – but once you get through the conventional bit, the best part of the film starts.
In cinemas from Friday 7th February
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
