The Fire Inside

2/13/2025

Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry deliver quite strongly in this biopic of the USA’s first boxing Olympic gold medalist. It follows her own career path so we know just what happened where and when, but it’s the characterful efforts that resonate more as she portrays Claressa Shields. From a very young age this tenacious young girl (Kylee D. Allen/Jazmin Headley) is running for miles to reach his gym only to be told that she couldn’t train with the boys. Henry’s Jason Crutchfield does give her a chance eventually and that’s what convinces him that she has potential. Despite her growing up in a poverty-stricken home, with her father incarcerated, they determine that if she can dedicate herself to her chosen path then perhaps fame and fortune might follow - and that proves quite an incentive