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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the true story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Yemeni immigrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to stand up to racist bullies and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant confidence and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, excluding him and making him a mix of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the film honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the all-important story in between is repeatedly flat and one-note. There is no subtlety or contrast in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly burdened by functional, explanatory dialogue that tell you exactly what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your career at seven years old …”). It is the sort of dialogue that digital producers call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited calling on the promoter in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the big set-piece boxing moments are often anticlimactically truncated. A key scene is surely when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle actually offers to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is stunned and uncomfortable. How exactly is this insanely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he emotionally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. The actor gets laughs when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to reject prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the film depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived final conversation – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the end titles, and not dramatised on film. Some engaging content in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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