Claressa Shields is no stranger to breaking barriers and making history. The Flint, Michigan native is the first American woman to win two Olympic gold medals in boxing and the first boxer of any gender in the four-belt era to win undisputed titles in two weight classes. Most recently, she knocked out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to win the heavyweight title. As she gets ready to defend her world title in her hometown on February 2, 2025, she’s entering new territory yet again — theaters.
On Wednesday, December 25, Academy Award winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins brought Claressa Shields’ story to the world. The Fire Inside is a dramatic depiction of the boxing star’s life, chronicling her journey from the midwest to the Olympic podium. Ryan Destiny plays the role of Shields while Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry plays her trainer. In a holiday weekend full of big time releases, check out what critics, movie fanatics and the rest of the world are saying about The Fire Inside.
The Basics
Where To Watch: In Theaters
Starring: Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry, Jazmin Headley
Synopsis: “A rousing and emotional directorial debut from Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison, THE FIRE INSIDE follows the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Destiny), one of the greatest female boxers of all time. Aided by her passionate long-time coach (Academy Award® nominee Brian Tyree Henry), Shields — a high school junior from Flint, Michigan — pushes past countless limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, she has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.”
Critics’ Chatter
“The human-interest biographies that air during the Olympics invariably frame their subjects’ stories as tales of resilience in the face of impossible odds. But rarely do they capture long shots any longer, or underdogs any, um, under-er, than Olympic boxer Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields, the center of the stirring new biopic The Fire Inside.”
–Chris Klimek, The Washington Post | Read The Full Review Here
“You can see the fire almost immediately. Rachel Morrison’s stirring sports drama The Fire Inside mostly focuses on boxer Claressa Shields’ teenage years (in which she’s played by Ryan Destiny), but in a brief prologue, we meet Claressa at perhaps 10 years old (played by Jazmin Headley). Watching her run determinedly through the streets of her weary Flint, Mich., neighborhood in the cold blue light of winter, we quickly learn everything we need to know about this child: She is strong and athletically gifted, she is uncannily focused, she has something to run from … and she’s looking for something to run toward. That something is hiding at the local boxing gym, where the slow smile of volunteer coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry) shows us that there’s something special in this fierce little girl.”
–Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times | Read The Full Review Here
“Shields (played by an excellent Ryan Destiny) is at the center of The Fire Inside, directed by Rachel Morrison from a screenplay by Barry Jenkins. At first you might be tricked into thinking it’s a standard-issue inspirational sports movie, the young athlete with a rough background beating the odds and coming out on top.
But The Fire Inside has a little more going on under the hood than your average sports movie. For one, it has Brian Tyree Henry, one of the greatest actors working today, as Shield’s coach Jason Crutchfield. Jason volunteers at the boxing gym while working a day job at a cable company to support his family and, at first, resists training Claressa — she’s a girl, after all, and the gym doesn’t train girls. But she persists, and he sees that spark. This boxer is not like the others.”
–Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times | Read The Full Review Here
Timeline Talk
#TheFireInside begins as a standard inspirational sports film that follows the slow yet steady rise to fame in the boxing ring. But once it gets beyond the fight scenes, it tells a far more interesting story that delves into the complicated layers of success. That's when it soars pic.twitter.com/uUHAND2zUA
— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) December 25, 2024
If you’re seeing a movie with the family today make sure you see The Fire inside pic.twitter.com/P6aWZIJGQg
— HOOD VOGUE is tired of poverty (@keyon) December 25, 2024
#TheFireInside was a really great movie. Excellent performances by Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry.
Loved seeing it with the audience that was so engaged! pic.twitter.com/7uICvQHE7K
— Dr. Marcus Shepard (@MarcusShepard) December 25, 2024
