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This film boasts a impressive ensemble, depicting the real-life story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to prejudice and molded into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his mentor, cutting him out and making him a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry embodies the part of the prince, and Stephens is the assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the potential that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial drama in between is repeatedly dull and monotonous. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly burdened by utilitarian, expositional dialogue that tell you exactly what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at age seven …”). It is the sort of script that digital producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your device. And, the score is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets too excited visiting Warren in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable utmost, their relationship never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key moment is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, the trainer actually offers to step into the ring and box him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. How exactly is this extremely risky standoff going to play out? How precisely the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he emotionally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there aren’t some good moments. The actor elicits humor when Ingle informs a journalist what he’s instructing the youths from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the silly stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that the trainer is allegedly authored (a plot point evidently adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his death is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. There is interesting material here, but the punches fail to connect.

Giant screened at the London film festival and is in British and Irish cinemas from 9 January.