The Fire Inside

The Fire Inside has enough quality to please genre and sports enthusiasts even if it feels like an undercard fixture. For all the talent on both sides of the camera, the nuts-and-bolts script lacks innovation and the pacing neither bobs nor weaves.


What happens in the ring is ferocious enough, but it’s around the kitchen sink that the drama really hots up.

[The Fire Inside] understands that, with storytelling as with fighting, sometimes all you need to do is stand firm and land the punches.

The Fire Inside is a sports biopic with the nerve to ask, “What happens after the win?” It’s a simple shift in emphasis, but an unexpectedly transformative one.

Shields is a worthwhile subject and her accomplishments are incredible, but this film is perhaps one for underdog sports enthusiasts only.

If the movie sounds like a bummer, it’s really not. Atlanta’s Tyree Henry’s natural jovial warmth makes him a perfect foil for Shields’ cool reserve; their banter is a joy to watch.

Two great lead performances anchor the film, though the back half - which deals with Clarissa's underwhelming return to Flint - is much more interesting than the familiar first half's inspirational underdog story

A rousing and empowering movie that reminds us there’s still a whole lot of fighting left to do even after the final bell rings.

This is a film that understands the models and keys to a successful boxing film, taking cues from what the "Creed" films had managed to turn into massive success...[Full review in Spanish]

While we've seen this sports drama template play out countless times before, Morrison crafts an intimate two-hander about mentorship, resiliency, and camaraderie through superior performances by Ryan Destiny and Bryan Tyree Henry.