Sydney Sweeney throws a mean punch, but in "Christy" she's trapped inside a by-the-numbers biopic that can't fight above its weight class.

The actress laces up her gloves to play Christy Martin, the boundary-breaking women's boxer whose hardships in the ring paled in comparison with those she faced outside of it. But the movie's biggest obstacle is the staggering number of boxing movie cliches it's forced to fight, and by its final round, it feels like a Lifetime original movie.

Sweeney brings a lot of moxie and determination to the role of Martin, who didn't find boxing as much as boxing found her. The West Virginian had an instinct for fighting, throwing punches like she was trying to destroy everyone in her life who had done her wrong, as Sweeney-as-Martin explains in an opening voice-over.

By the time she gets into a ring, she's met by trainer James V. Martin, played by a never-smarmier Ben Foster. He's so oily and untrustworthy you wouldn't buy a 10-speed off of him for $10, but he's able to manipulate Martin into marrying him, where he adds abusive husband to his resume, along with abusive manager.

Martin climbs up professional boxing's ladder and helps put women's boxing on the map, and it's not long before Don King is involved, a mark of true success in the boxing world. (Chad L. Coleman plays the iconic promoter.) But director David Michôd ("Animal Kingdom"), who co-wrote the script with Mirrah Foulkes, isn't able to raise "Christy" above its familiar trappings, even as Martin's world turns nightmarish and the story takes several very grisly turns.

As Martin, Sweeney shows a lot of heart, but the arrival of Katy O'Brian as a rival boxer puts her in her place. O'Brian ("Love Lies Bleeding"), who has a martial arts and bodybuilding background, has a naturalism about her and a feel for the ring that makes Sweeney look like she's play-fighting. "Christy" comes on strong, but in the end it winds up going down for the count.

———

'CHRISTY'

Grade: C

MPA rating: R (for language, violence/bloody images, some drug use and sexual material)

Running time: 2:15

How to watch: Now in theaters

———

©2025 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.