8/12 ForReel Score | 3.5/5 Stars

Sports biopics are a dime a dozen, often indistinguishable from each other by sticking as close to formula as possible. A genre rife with predictability, even the better versions of the same story often feel stale and stuck. You’d be forgiven for writing off The Fire Inside at first glance. It has all of the basic framework of standard underdog sports dramas, and for its first half, unfolds exactly as you would expect. But cinematographer turned first time director Rachel Morrison has more on her mind and is far more interested in the untapped potential of the story. Namely, what happens after a meteoric rise to the top of the sport and the broader discussion of women’s sports and underpaid female athletes. It’s here where The Fire Inside begins to set itself apart as a unique take on a predictable narrative, taking the fighting from the ring to equality and life after victory.

We follow Clarissa Shields, a young girl from Flint, Michigan with a knack for cracking heads. As she rises through the ranks of women’s boxing, she makes it to the 2012 Olympics where she becomes the youngest gold medalist in the sport and the first American woman to win a gold medal. This is where most biopics would end; a triumphant underdog story where all the trials and tribulations culminate in life long success and celebration. But this historic win is where the real story begins, because Shields returns home to the same financial hardships and impoverished community she hoped the Olympics would erase. Overlooked instead of herald and without any legitimate endorsements, Shields begins fighting back against the system and demands fair and equal recognition for her achievements and women’s sports in general.

Morrison brings her visual flare to her direction, her keen eye for shot composition, imbuing The Fire Inside with some rousing combat sequences. She clearly knows where to place the camera, and the strengths of cinematography carry over well to calling all the shots in the director’s chair. It helps too that The Fire Inside is written and produced by Barry Jenkins, allowing Morrision the strong supporting material to flex her skills freely and take some risks. Most of them pay off, particularly from relative newcomer Ryan Destiny as the main character. Destiny brings the fire (no pun intended) needed to embody the rebellious spirt of Shields, and really showcases her talents as a lead performer. She’s supported by another stellar performance from Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway, TIFF 2022) as her longtime couch Jason Cutfield, who continues to be the best part of anything he’s in.

Henry and Destiny nail the father/daughter relationship of coach and student, and their character arcs in The Fire Inside are not only crafted well by Morrison but powered further by strong chemistry between her leads. It becomes increasingly easy to root for Shields and empathize with her struggles, and by the time the gloves are off and she’s fighting outside of the ring, Destiny’s performance has won you over completely. It becomes hard not to feel inspired by The Fire Inside, and even when you feel like its genre predictability is beginning to take over, it doesn’t hold the film back from being wholly effective. It’s not flawless, and there are some development shortcomings in the story that don’t quite keep the narrative’s propulsive undertones consistently.

But, Morrison and The Fire Inside is all the better for the risks she takes in trying to tell the same story differently. Even if the film comes up short of greatness, it’s a testament to what sports biopics COULD be. There is always more to the story of every athlete beyond the hunt for gold, and The Fire Inside is a smarter, more personal exploration of the athlete instead of a highlight reel of their accomplishments. It embodies the age-old quote from one of the greats, Roger Ebert: “It’s not what the film is about, it’s how it goes about it.” The Fire Inside gives you more than enough reasons to care - not just about the triumphs of competition, but the universal fight for something more and the ideals to matter beyond the gold hanging around your neck. The Fire Inside may not be the best of its kind, but it is better than most - a genuine crowd pleaser that will leave you cheering for Shields to the end.

TIFF 2024 | Movie Review: "The Fire Inside"; A Sports Biopic With More on Its Mind Than Victory