FIRE INSIDE (2024)

Portrait of the rise of champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields from her childhood to her Olympic wins. 

FIRE INSIDE is a rare bird among sports films in that the film is not entirely focused on the boxing, but it splits the time with Shields' life out of the ring. It's a film that makes clear what her life was like. It's a film that makes clear how difficult Shields' life was. It's a move that more sports films should attempt.

As much as I admire what the film is doing with its story construction, my feelings for the film as a whole is that I like the film more than love it. The problem is that while the cast is first rate and the direction is really good, the script, by Barry Jenkins is more than a bit by the numbers. Yes, the film shows us things we don't normally see, but at the same time the film follows the well-worn paths of sports films. 

In fairness I do have to say that I was affected by the fact that Amazon Studios released the similar UNSTOPPABLE a few weeks back. That film, about a wrestler, tells a similar story but manages not to fall into the cliche pitfall.  The fact that I screened the two films close together diminished it into my eyes.

That said, this is a very good and worth your time.

A quick note the film ends with a title to say that she has yet to lose a fight as a pro- except that she has as an MMA fighter (a part of her life not covered by the film)