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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the real-life tale of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who guided a brash Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to racist bullies and transformed into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed betrayed his coach, excluding him and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan portrays Ingle; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who saw the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the film honestly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial story in between is repeatedly dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character really interesting – even though he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often burdened by functional, expositional lines that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re watching the film but also checking your device. Additionally, the score is overpowering, sometimes almost deafening, especially in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are frequently anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is certainly when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually proposes to step into the ring and fight him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to play out? How precisely the outcome? Certainly the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. Brosnan elicits humor when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to oppose bias and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “monster from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the falling out, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a story element evidently modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his passing is merely mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on screen. Some engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

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