December 27, 2024
FILM: THE FIRE INSIDE
DIRECTED BY: RACHEL MORRISON
STARRING: RYAN DESTINY, BRIAN TYREE HENRY, JAZMIN HEADLEY
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Do I need to mention how many boxing movies there have been? From Rocky to Creed this is a genre of film that is filled with many familiar beats: downtrodden but determined fighter trains to be the best boxer leading to rousing success. The story behind The Fire Inside might already be familiar to some Americans. Claressa Shields began her life in poor Flint, Michigan to become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing. So, what’s different about the way this story is told? Not a lot, but as Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Jenkins relays in his narrative Shields is herself a unique figure in sports history.
Rachel Morrison who is also a significant “first” directs Jenkins’s script: she is the only female to so far be nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography (for the film Mudbound in 2018.) So, she is clearly aware of the struggles to be the first at something quite big. However, the script does have a quite a few of those familiar beats and for much of the film feels like something we’ve seen before. Sure, Shields has her own problems: she’s still in high school, she’s seeking gold in a sport that has seen few U.S. Gold Medals before, she’s got a boyfriend, her home life is a mess, and she doesn’t quite present the “right” image to get attention on an international stage. But the film has the usual fight scenes, which are shot, surprisingly, in a pretty typical manner. Also featured is the very familiar and overdone training montage as Shields fights her way to the top.
Where the film gets the most interesting is during the period just after Shields wins her gold medal. She has to return to her unglamorous, beaten down life in Flint where she struggles from afar to get the high paying endorsements and pay that is typical of Olympic Gold Medal winners. I’d have like to see Jenkins’s script spend more time in this period, as it is not one that is given a lot of attention in sports films. We usually see the glory of winning but what happens after?
What does make the film really work though are the strongly committed performances of Ryan Destiny as Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as her coach Jason. Destiny presents her character as tough and headstrong while also one who is introspective and a bit impulsive. With no experience in the ring herself, Destiny also excels at recreating the fierce fighting which won Shields that first medal. As for Henry, this may be his best performance as Jason. (He was previously nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the film Causeway and Emmy-nominated for his role on the series Atlanta.) He portrays the man as patient, caring, and demanding. He has more than one truly explosive scene that showcases all of these qualities. Henry just keeps getting better.
Ultimately this is a film that emphasizes the power of a drive and a dream. It’s an inspirational story for those coming from disadvantaged areas, which demonstrates that great things can happen if one persists while remaining true to their inner self.
The Fire Inside is currently playing in theaters.
FILM: THE FIRE INSIDE
DIRECTED BY: RACHEL MORRISON
STARRING: RYAN DESTINY, BRIAN TYREE HENRY, JAZMIN HEADLEY
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Do I need to mention how many boxing movies there have been? From Rocky to Creed this is a genre of film that is filled with many familiar beats: downtrodden but determined fighter trains to be the best boxer leading to rousing success. The story behind The Fire Inside might already be familiar to some Americans. Claressa Shields began her life in poor Flint, Michigan to become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing. So, what’s different about the way this story is told? Not a lot, but as Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Jenkins relays in his narrative Shields is herself a unique figure in sports history.
Rachel Morrison who is also a significant “first” directs Jenkins’s script: she is the only female to so far be nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography (for the film Mudbound in 2018.) So, she is clearly aware of the struggles to be the first at something quite big. However, the script does have a quite a few of those familiar beats and for much of the film feels like something we’ve seen before. Sure, Shields has her own problems: she’s still in high school, she’s seeking gold in a sport that has seen few U.S. Gold Medals before, she’s got a boyfriend, her home life is a mess, and she doesn’t quite present the “right” image to get attention on an international stage. But the film has the usual fight scenes, which are shot, surprisingly, in a pretty typical manner. Also featured is the very familiar and overdone training montage as Shields fights her way to the top.
Where the film gets the most interesting is during the period just after Shields wins her gold medal. She has to return to her unglamorous, beaten down life in Flint where she struggles from afar to get the high paying endorsements and pay that is typical of Olympic Gold Medal winners. I’d have like to see Jenkins’s script spend more time in this period, as it is not one that is given a lot of attention in sports films. We usually see the glory of winning but what happens after?
What does make the film really work though are the strongly committed performances of Ryan Destiny as Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as her coach Jason. Destiny presents her character as tough and headstrong while also one who is introspective and a bit impulsive. With no experience in the ring herself, Destiny also excels at recreating the fierce fighting which won Shields that first medal. As for Henry, this may be his best performance as Jason. (He was previously nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the film Causeway and Emmy-nominated for his role on the series Atlanta.) He portrays the man as patient, caring, and demanding. He has more than one truly explosive scene that showcases all of these qualities. Henry just keeps getting better.
Ultimately this is a film that emphasizes the power of a drive and a dream. It’s an inspirational story for those coming from disadvantaged areas, which demonstrates that great things can happen if one persists while remaining true to their inner self.
The Fire Inside is currently playing in theaters.