A new film chronicling the turbulent life of Christy Salters Martin, the pioneering female boxer who dominated the sport in the 1990s, struggles to deliver the emotional impact its powerful true story deserves. The movie, which stars Sydney Sweeney, presents a curiously flat portrayal of an athlete who broke barriers in a male-dominated arena while enduring horrific abuse outside the ring.
The narrative follows Martin’s rise from a high school athlete with a raw talent for boxing to a world champion under the promotional wing of the flamboyant Don King. Yet, the film’s central focus often wavers, failing to fully capture either the grueling ascent of a sports legend or the grim reality of the domestic terror she faced.
Sweeney’s performance lacks the dynamism needed to convey the fighter’s complex journey. The character’s evolution feels unconvincing, leaving the audience with a portrait that never fully comes to life. Greater screen presence is instead given to her manipulative husband-manager, a role played with predictable menace but little nuance.
The story attempts to balance Martin’s professional triumphs with personal tragedy, including a coercive marriage and involvement in exploitative situations orchestrated by her spouse. However, these dark themes are often handled with a heavy hand, lacking the subtlety that might have made them resonate more deeply.
Even the boxing sequences, typically a highlight of sports cinema, feel repetitive. A string of early victories grows monotonous, with the film shying away from the dramatic potential of defeat—a key element in any athlete’s growth. It barely acknowledges one of her most high-profile losses, missing an opportunity to explore resilience in the face of failure.
While the real-life story of Christy Martin is one of courage and survival, this cinematic retelling lands with a soft punch, leaving viewers with a sense of what might have been.
