'The Fire Inside' is No Contender, But a Worthy Fighter
In a space filled with inspirational sports stories, here's yet another one. That doesn't necessarily make it bad. But it doesn't have enough strength to make it stand out among boxing greats like Million Dollar Baby or Raging Bull. The Fire Inside does the best job it can, bringing a real-life story to the big screen. It plays a lot of the beats that Rocky plays. The slight difference in this movie compared to others is in its structure and ending. Right when you're about to think, "Here we go again with this tired cliche," the movie turns a corner. Not always, but from time to time, it does. That's encouraging, yet it's not enough to keep the story entirely engaging.
The Fire Inside is the true story of Claressa Shields, a gold medalist in women's Boxing at the Olympics. The story starts in 2006 in Flint, Michigan. Claressa (Ryan Destiny) walks up to a group of boys boxing, being trained by Jason Crutchfield. (Brian Tyree Henry) Jason tells Clarressa that he's told her before he doesn't train girls. Claressa persists, getting herself into the ring with the boys. She's beaten. To keep her spirits up, Jason tells Claressa, "You can lose a fight, but you can't lose a heart." Oh boy. That's a good bowl of corny dialogue! It's obvious what the film is saying, but does it need to be said this early? It's the whole heart of the fighter spiel that Mickey told to Rocky and every other coach to every other fighter in any uplifting boxing tale. If the movie were a pure actors piece, it would barely coast along due to some of its overdramatic dialogue.
Luckily, the film hits us with a surprise in its first act. Instead of showing how the coach and fighter's relationship grows, it cuts to five years later during a large fight. This is a nice way to skip all the cliched fighter/trainer relationship building, giving us something a little new, but not much. The relationship between Clarissa and Jason is one of love, understanding, and boundaries. Claressa's home life in Flint is fractured. Her father is a convict, and her mother, although supportive, has a drinking problem. Close to halfway through the film, Claressa is kicked out of her home because she caused a stir during an unannounced party in her household. With nowhere to go she crashes at her coach's crib. Jason makes it very clear that although in his house, their relationship is strictly professional.
The chemistry between Brian Tyree Henry and Ryan Destiny is doable but not quite electric. Throughout most of the film, Ryan Destiny makes passable line deliveries. She's not anything spectacular in the movie. Just okay. Mostly, she sounds bored. It's BTH who's doing most of the heavy lifting. He's stern yet sweet. Henry can switch from sympathetic to angry by the snap of one's fingers. It's the performance of the movie, but it's nothing too absorbing. It's the third act of the film that switches gears into something else.
Due to being a woman, Claressa has to project a certain image to earn sponsors. Even a girl her age (maybe 16-19) is sexualized to appeal to a male demographic. She doesn't get paid as much as the male athletes, with a paycheck that's barely enough to pay her bills. Most inspirational sports stories would end with the protagonist winning a medal or almost winning the final fight. In this case, we see what happens after the fight.
It's about how we don't view women's sports equally as men. Everyone remembers Michael Phelps, but who knows Clarissa Shields? Does anyone know she's the only athlete, male or female, to win two gold medals in Boxing for the USA? I didn't until this movie. That's pretty sad. As time moves forward, we're beginning to improve. Look no further than the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight, which was far better than the main attraction, the Mike Tyson Jake Paul fight. When it comes to acknowledging women in sports we still have a ways to go.
By the film's closing notes, we're meant to feel inspired. The movie ends on a victorious note, where Claressa discovers who she is and why she fights. It's uplifting, if not a bit boring. The film itself does a good job of subverting expectations a couple of times in the movie. But it's not enough for The Fire Inside to be remembered among other boxing films.
