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This film features a impressive ensemble, depicting the true tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his coach, excluding him and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the bullish promoter Warren, who saw the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly misses the fighter’s agility: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story in between is consistently dull and one-note. There is no nuance or contrast in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with functional, explanatory lines that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your career at seven years old …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also checking your phone. And, the background music is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited visiting Warren in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically truncated. The most important scene is surely when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle actually proposes to step into the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a journalist what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to reject bias and when you encounter a offender, “Punch him in the groin”. Amusing too when Hamed fidgets at the silly antics Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that the trainer is allegedly authored (a story element clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is reportedly given to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. Some engaging content here, but the punches fail to connect.

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