The Fire Inside

6.6 - The style, structure, writing are cliché “feel good sports story.” There’s a training montage, a coach athlete argument, a returned figure from the past, & even a looking out a bus window shot.

But I like those stories generally, & Claressa Shields is absolutely a name a lot more people should know. She did a lot to change perception around, & procedure in, women’s sports.

Brian Tyree Henry is one of my favorite actors & he carries a lot of this movie for me, but Ryan Destiny absolutely holds her own as Ressa.

My biggest issue keeping this from being GREAT is that most of the key moments failed to pack the emotional punch they needed. They all just kind of settle without a lot of fanfare or time to breathe. It may have been intentional, to show her as more than just a fighter, but I think it cheapened some of her overall journey. Maybe a stronger score or a little more time on these milestones would have helped.

All in all, if feel-good sports, or overcoming odds dramas are your thing, you’ll love this.

😭😭😭just tears 😭 YOUUU GO GIRLL

65

65

This is such a sad story but so happy this movie isn’t where her story ends. It’s a good watch but it runs a little slow.

This felt fairly cliched to me, a typical sports movie crowd pleaser. Definitely not all bad but I just think I’ve seen this done a lot better. It just never really takes off. But I liked the focus on her and women’s marketing in sports.
5/10