The Fire Inside
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: December 25, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonDec 18, 2024
Women’s sports owes a debt to Shields. She finally has a movie that gives her deserved flowers. Read full review
90
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonDec 24, 2024
The Fire Inside has a little more going on under the hood than your average sports movie. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleDec 24, 2024
While the boxing is kinetically directed, Morrison grasps that the movie’s fiercest stands are taken outside the ring, when Claressa — faced with tough choices about her future — asserts herself to the people who need to hear it. Read full review
90
Screen DailyRobert DanielsSep 13, 2024
The Fire Inside, in a deceptively brilliant twist on the inspirational sports film, is a humanist story, whose every hard hitting beat and aching emotion is also truly earned. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenSep 13, 2024
As its restless protagonist navigates the road to ultimate personal victory, director Morrison is right there with her, maintaining a propulsive momentum accentuated by editor Harry Yoon’s rhythmic cuts and composer Tamar-Kali’s elegant, percolating score. And so are we. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 2, 2025
What makes “The Fire Inside” so powerful is the uncomfortable questions it poses: How responsible is a person for their family’s well-being? Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 25, 2024
Whereas so many of these films end with the big game/fight/match and a freeze-frame moment of glory before the credits roll, The Fire Inside is finding another gear. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowDec 25, 2024
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. Read full review
80
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyFeb 16, 2025
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, which forces us to reckon with how shortsighted we can be in our assumptions that victory creates a certain kind of immortality. Read full review
80
ColliderJeff EwingDec 24, 2024
Altogether, The Fire Inside is a strong directorial debut for Rachel Morrison, boasting excellent performances from Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 10, 2024
The Fire Inside gives us that catharsis; it’s a real rouser. Yet the film is rooted in a sobering grasp of the trauma that can be the flip side of triumph. The arc of the drama is built around an enormous curveball it throws at the audience. And that’s when the movie really gets good. Read full review
80
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiSep 12, 2024
The Fire Inside manages to accomplish a lot in its nearly two-hour runtime. It’s a sports drama that encapsulates the experience of living in Flint and a powerful, character-driven story that isn’t afraid to show the gritty aspects as they actually are. Read full review
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 12, 2024
Her story is obviously astounding in itself, but what makes The Fire Inside, once called Flint Strong, such an upper-tier sports movie is that Morrison and the Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Jenkins don’t rely solely on the facts of her life to compel. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrDec 25, 2024
Morrison is a celebrated cinematographer known for “Black Panther,” “Fruitvale Station” and “Mudbound,” making her feature debut as a director. And it’s a promising one, full of beautiful shots, unexpected choices and rousing fights inside the ring, anchored by a thoughtful, engaging script and compelling lead performances. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliDec 25, 2024
It doesn’t break any molds but expertly crafts familiar material into an end product that will likely appeal to a wide audience. Read full review
75
Washington PostChris KlimekDec 25, 2024
Ryan Destiny’s performance as Shields is persuasive and commanding. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 25, 2024
The Fire Inside is a feel-good picture that feeds off our disappointment that not everybody who succeeds against the odds wholly “succeeds” against those odds, and makes us wonder if this will ever change. Read full review
75
The Daily BeastNick SchagerDec 25, 2024
Throws a bevy of familiar, rousing punches on its way to a feel-good finale. Yet in the fearsome eyes of Destiny, it boasts its own unique power. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldDec 24, 2024
While it ticks all the expected boxes for a sports drama, it’s also something more. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 12, 2024
It’s a solid debut for Morrison and a star-making turn for Destiny with a message for girls and boys to know their worth and never settle. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalZachary BarnesDec 25, 2024
Mr. Henry’s performance, by turns firm and funny, is the highlight of the movie. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDec 25, 2024
In an era where the mid-budget movie has mostly disappeared, The Fire Inside’s modest, thoughtful reworking of the sports drama formula can feel refreshing. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandSep 12, 2024
The film still ends in rousing fashion, but it recognizes something far more profound: There are no actual conclusions in real life, even if we can feel moments of triumph throughout. It’s what next that matters. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeFeb 10, 2025
The Fire Inside, which was scripted by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and directed by cinematographer turned first-time feature film-maker Rachel Morrison, understands that, with storytelling as with fighting, sometimes all you need to do is stand firm and land the punches. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyFeb 6, 2025
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. Read full review
58
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 12, 2024
Unless you have truly transcendent performances or unforgettable cinematic moments, it’s difficult for this genre of sports story to really throw a unique punch. Read full review
50
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsFeb 5, 2025
Shields is a worthwhile subject and her accomplishments are incredible, but this film is perhaps one for underdog sports enthusiasts only. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 2, 2025
There’s an important message in here, especially when it comes to the financial inequality between men and women in sports. But rather than using the 17-year-old Shields’ pugnacious attitude to really explore how she landed body blows on the sexist establishment, The Fire Inside just ends up shadow boxing. Read full review
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