Written by Andreas Babiolakis

Rachel Morrison is easily one of the most interesting cinematographers working today, with a beloved portfolio containing films like Fruitvale Station (2013) and Mudbound (2017). She has now turned to directing motion pictures, with her debut being The Fire Inside: a biopic about gold medal winning boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields. The screenwriter for this film is none other than Barry Jenkins: one of the strongest auteurs working today, even if his own latest film, Mufasa: The Lion King, doesn’t prove it. The two minds together seem like a perfect pairing, especially when tackling the upbringing of Claressa in Flint, Michigan, the unequal pay and endorsement disparity she faces, and many other talking points. I’m happy to say that The Fire Inside is a good film, but I was also expecting something stronger from such a visionary artist and one of the finest director-screenwriters of the twenty first century. A film about a no-nonsense, bold athlete feels unfortunately safe, and that is a bit of a problem.

A young Claressa (Ryan Destiny) approaches Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry) to help her train to become a prize-winning boxer. At first, Jason doesn’t agree to this request, but it doesn’t take much for him to come around and want to support her, especially since she has led a tough, lonely life. He provides for her not just as a trainer but as a guardian, trying to help her get back on her feet. As the years go by, we see Claressa become an unstoppable force both in the ring and, even if she would feel differently, in life, and Jason is there alongside her to try and help her find her full potential, even when they wind up butting heads regarding his management style. Watching The Fire Inside feels like a Sports Film 101 kind of experience, where you expect certain notes to be hit and they very much are hit. The rises and falls happen precisely when you predict they will.

Despite its conventional way, *The Fire Inside* benefits from its exposed heart.

Unfortunately, being able to foretell how most of this film will transpire removes the weight of the fortunes and fate that take place here, as well as the amount of hard work our leading duo undertook to get to the heights they reached. I can feel the punches of The Fire Inside being pulled, as a result. Having said that, the film isn’t sugary or synthetic with schmaltz either, and Morrison’s down-to-earth approach helps make what we see feel pure, even when it is highly predictable. Furthermore, Destiny and Tyree Henry are — like always — fascinating to watch and they put on an acting exposition to sell every point, even the ones that we can see coming a mile away. The end result is a pretty good sports drama that feels inspirational and informative. I just wish it had more grit, but it is most certainly rich in heart and you can feel the effort put into each and every single scene; use this passion as your biggest takeaway, not how typical it can feel narratively.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.