Ryan Destiny Stuns in ‘The Fire Inside’

It’s 2006 in Flint, Michigan. We see a young girl jog in the snow to a local boxing gym. She enters, takes off her coat, and begins to mimic the training routine: jab, right hand, jab. The coach reminds her that she’s allowed to hang out, but this gym only trains boys. She ignores his dismissal and gears up. The coach realizes she’s not going to take no for an answer and lets her in the ring. The girl is Claressa “T-Rex” Shields and this scene gives us our first glimpse at The Fire Inside.

Six years later Claressa is a local boxing champ inches away from big competitions. It’s easy to see that Claressa (Ryan Destiny; Star) is a fighter, battling much more than just her opponent in the ring.  When things get too hard at home, her coach, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), also becomes her guardian. 

“You can lose a fight but you can’t let nobody take your heart.”

Winning the gold medal only takes us to the beginning of the story. After achieving what many would agree is the highest honor in sports, Claressa is still struggling financially due to a number of factors. After the win, Claressa receives no endorsement deals and the little money she does have is used to help her family with their bills. At a low point, she even tries to pawn her medal because it seems of little value. 

Cinematographer Rachel Morrison makes her feature directorial debut with this gritty sports biopic, and it couldn’t be more fitting. Morrison shattered her own glass ceiling when she became the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for cinematography for her work on Mudbound. This film pulses as we gear up for Claressa’s big fight. 

Destiny and Henry spark on screen with a natural connection. Through their performances, we can feel the love Jason has for “Ressa” and the hurt he feels when her frustration reaches new heights, causing her to lash out. However, The Fire Inside shows the boundaries in their relationship are constantly moving. Jason is Claressa’s coach but also her friend and father figure. Claressa is Jason’s fighter but also like a daughter. Despite those moments, Claressa and Jason know how they’ve improved each other’s lives. 

Destiny wears Claressa like armor — a tough exterior but tender as flesh on the inside. It isn’t hard to display the strong side of Claressa, but her life isn’t all fight. Destiny slips on softness as she plays with her nephew, interacts with her boyfriend, and gets giddy while getting ready for the prom. She shows us that underneath this formidable fighter is still a teenager with the same wants and desires as any other teen.

There are few others who could’ve written the script with as much grit and heart as Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk). The Fire Inside displays the characters in Claressa’s life as complex. We see the environment that forged Claressa’s fight, but they aren’t portrayed as complete villains. There are layers to each character in the orbit of Claressa, and that richness in between the folds produces authentic characters that people can identify and parallel with others in their own lives. This also helps us understand the additional weight on Claressa’s shoulders. 

One of the key takeaways from Claressa’s story isn’t just the fight but the support of the community around her. In the film, we see neighborhood children training with her, classmates working out in a classroom, and a lunch lady dedicated to keeping Claressa on a good diet to aid in her training — they were just as invested in Claressa’s journey as she was. It’s an incredible amount of pressure to not only fight for yourself but have everyone else invested in your success. 

As the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing, Claressa’s resilience can’t be denied, and her power extends beyond a good punch. She is the only American boxer to win two gold medals back to back.  Through the support of her coach and community, she was able to change her circumstances and others by advocating for equal pay and increased visibility for women in boxing. 

The Fire Inside serves as one of the better sports biopics we’ve seen in recent years. Though the film slows to end at a point where it should’ve begun, we gain enough insight into the fighter’s life to recognize her struggle and apply her fortitude to our own lives. What does it mean to win? What classifies a loss? It’s all about what you do after the match.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars