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This film boasts a talented cast, depicting the true story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to confront prejudice and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the 1990s. The trainer cultivated his showboating arrogance and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the part of the prince, and Toby Stephens is the bullish London promoter Warren, who saw the potential that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly misses the Prince’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important drama in between is consistently flat and one-note. There is no nuance or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – although he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The story is often lumbered with utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at seven years old …”). It is the sort of dialogue that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re watching the movie but also checking your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, especially in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their very utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the major boxing moments are often disappointingly truncated. A key scene is certainly when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, Ingle in fact offers to get in the ring and box him. All present in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some nice jabs. The actor elicits humor when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to reject bias and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the silly stunts the coach makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the rift, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that Ingle is allegedly authored (a plot point clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – however the heartfelt homage that the boxer is reportedly given to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the end titles, and not dramatised on film. There is engaging content in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

Giant screened at the festival and is available in British and Irish theaters from January 9.