The Fire Inside

Directed by Rachel Morrison, The Fire Inside follows aspiring boxer Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny) as she and her tireless coach (Brian Tyree Henry’s Jason) eventually go for the gold at the Olympics. Filmmaker Morrison, armed with a screenplay by Barry Jenkins, delivers a solid endeavor that does, within its engaging opening stretch, generally come off as a rather typical inspirational-sports story, as the movie places a continuing emphasis on Claressa and Jason’s dogged efforts at overcoming their less-than-affluent circumstances – with the impact of these scenes heightened by a smattering of engrossing interludes and the top-notch work of stars Destiny and Tyree Henry. And while the Olympics-set scenes are indeed as compelling and satisfying as one might’ve hoped, The Fire Inside builds towards an intriguing yet far-from-enthralling second half focused primarily on Claressa’s efforts at cashing in on her newfound success – with the comparatively underwhelming bent of this stretch ensuring that the movie peters out to a slight degree. Still, The Fire Inside is, for much of its (admittedly overlong) 109 minutes, a fairly entertaining true-life tale that benefits from its first-class performances.

**1/2 out of ****