STORYLINE: The story of Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who trained to become the first woman in her country’s history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. (IMDb)

    Boxing movies tend to have a grand tradition of being white and male.  The Hilary Swank showcase Million Dollar Baby seems to be the exception by putting a woman at the center of its story.  I am sure there are others. The Fire Inside bucks the trends as it tells the true story of Claressa Shields, a young African American womam boxer who won back to back gold medals in boxing at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016.  

   The film itself is worth the watch, despite dragging in multiple parts. I liked that the film focused on her trumps as a boxer. It mentioned her difficult history and did not gloss over her hardships to get to the top.  

    What is important about this movie is that it tells a true story of a young African American woman with the aid of her African American trainer came out on top. There is no white savior on this film, unlike in The Blind Side.  This kind of movie needs more attention then it is getting.  Also more of these kind of true stories need to be made and brought to mainstream America.

   Support this film so others like it will be made.

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!