Confusingly, this is the second film called Christy that has been released this year, and I expected this would overshadow the terrific Irish drama from a few months ago as it had a wide release and stars hot property Sydney Sweeney. She plays boxer Christy Salter in a sports biopic directed by David Michôd, written by Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes. However, Christy has bombed spectacularly at the US box office.
I had a recollection of Christy fighting but was unaware of her story. In some ways it is a typical sports movie as she rises from obscurity to a fair amount of fame, only for it to come crashing down before a moment of redemption. But this is not really about boxing. It is a study of abuse and coercive control by Christy’s coach and husband played with a quiet menace by Ben Foster. As always in these cases, it is frustrating to see her stick with him despite his violence and threats to kill her, especially for such a strong woman.
Christy was a very brash woman who routinely insulted her opponents, so I found the most touching scenes were those with adversary Lisa Holewyne, played with warmth by Katy O’Brian, as they became friends and eventually partners. Amongst other strong performances, Merritt Weaver excels as Christy’s ghastly mother.
Despite all the positives, that include Sweeney’s performance, I found the pacing a little sluggish in the excessive 135 minute run time, with some repetition in the middle section.
Rating: 6 out of 10