When we’re first introduced to Christy (Sydney Sweeney), she’s in the middle of a raggedy amateur boxing ring in front of a sparse crowd of locals. It’s got the feel of a backyard brawl with low stakes and loose rules. With just one punch, Christy knocks out her competition and surprises herself with her power. It turns out, Christy is a hell of a fighter—not just in the ring, but in her bout with life too. 

 

Christy’s path to the top of the boxing world in the ‘90s is chronicled thoroughly by director Dave Michôd. The movie covers nearly twenty years of her life. A large focus is the relationship with her trainer and later husband Jim Martin (Ben Foster). At the beginning, there are “now you see it, now you don't" red flags where Jim is concerned that subtly allude to the troubles that come in the later years (a gruesome story that is far worse than anything Christy faces in her boxing matches). In between the personal struggles is Christy’s domination in the ring, interspersed with enough challenges to keep things interesting. 

 

The reason this movie works so well is largely due to Sweeney’s total commitment to the role. Her physical transformation is obvious (short brown hair, a stockier build, and a walk that means business) but she embodies the tough exterior of Christy to perfection. This is her “I’m a serious actress” role and she proves it and then some. Similarly Ben Foster shines in a role where he executes Jim’s despicable nature with ease. Sweeney and Foster have a natural chemistry and easily slip into the fraught and tense relationship of Christy and Jim. 

 

Christy is a solid boxing movie that depicts the tragedies and triumphs of Christy Martin’s life. But it isn’t a cookie cutter sports biopic. The snappy boxing sequences are there. But the story that surrounds Christy outside of the ring is where the true fight takes place.