One of the most magnetic onscreen duos this year is not a romantic couple or a pair of enemy-to-friend buddies but a coach and mentor and a young athlete. “The Fire Inside” is based on the true story of boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Destiny), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and her coach, Jason Crutchfield (Bryan Tyree Henry). The warmth and trust between them radiate from the screen, in sharp contrast to the ferocity of the fight scenes and the bleakness of Shield’s life at home with her mother, first an addict and later disabled.
Cinematographer-turned-first-time director Rachel Morrison has a good sense for conveying the specifics of the community, from the instability of Shield’s home with her mother and younger siblings to the warmth and comfort of Crutchfield’s home with his wife and family. Crutchfield is a volunteer coach at the gym. His day job is working for the cable company, and we see him on top of high ladders, working on the wires. In addition to the relationship between Crutchfield and Shields and the many opportunities Shields has to prove all she can do, this film takes on the challenges outside the ring, including the disappointment that even winning a gold medal at the Olympics does not create the kinds of opportunities given to other athletes.
The movie opens with an overhead shot of a poor neighborhood in Flint, Michigan. It is just before dawn and a light snow is falling. The streets are deserted except for one small runner, perhaps 8 years old. She is running to the gym, where boxing lessons are boys-only. “No cheerleading practice up in here,” one of the boys in the ring jeers at her.
At first, Crutchfield says he is not going to train her, though he will let her watch and use the equipment. But there is something about her determination that sparks his interest. He gives her a chance to fight and sees that she responds quickly to his suggestions on how to improve. He also sees that she flinches and backs away when he tries to hug her. His response, in this first meeting and throughout their relationship, is a heartfelt mix of encouragement, guidance, respect, and trustworthiness. Henry continues to show his versatility and endless charisma in the role. As Crutchfield has to maintain a balance between pushing her, protecting her, and supporting her, respecting her boundaries as she becomes an adult, Henry is always exquisitely sensitive to Destiny as a scene partner. It is clear that they are completely comfortable with one another, making it feel authentic when he coaxes a smile, a brief scene of amiable bickering, and later a harsh disagreement. Shields is often sullen, usually reserved. That means that in the few scenes where she opens up, telling a boyfriend about being abused when she was a child, holding her sister’s baby, Destiny’s performance is especially moving.
There’s a nice moment when Shields goes to the grocery store to buy diapers for her nephew and glances at a display of Wheaties cereal. The Breakfast of Champions features star athletes on the boxes, but she is not getting any big money offers. She can pay off her mother’s utility bills but the endorsements she was hoping for have not come in. Corporations like female athletes from the pretty sports like beach volleyball, where the women jump around in bikinis. They are not comfortable with sports where women punch other women in the face. Shields likes to talk about how much she loves to hit people and make them cry, which does not fit corporate messaging. “You seem like a bully,” a representative tells her, advising her to wear lip gloss and girly clothes. “I won that gold medal by being me,” Shields says. She points out that the men on the USA boxing team get a stipend three times higher than the women. She can fight with words as well as fists.
Shields’ story is inspiring, beyond the training montage, the matches and medals, and the pep talks from Crutchfield. The film has a spacious generosity toward all of its characters, even Shields’ parents, reflecting her commitment to her family and community, as deep as her focus on winning boxing matches. There are echoes of classics like “Rocky” (a match against Russia) and “Chariots of Fire” (Crutchfield getting the results far from the match). But this story of a young woman who learns to be as tough as the stone that gave her town its name, whose nickname, “T-Rex” means that she “ain’t got reach but is as fierce as they come,” earns our attention and affection.
