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 cast and crew deliver in spades. The Fire Inside is a polished film. But more than that, it’s a thoughtful film. The detail that’s gone into every scene is testament to the passion project it is. The writing and direction are crisp but not contrived.