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The movie features a impressive ensemble, depicting the real-life tale of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a brash Yorkshire 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 celebrity titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his coach, excluding him and making him a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

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

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the movie frankly lacks the Prince’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important story between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. There is no nuance or light and shade in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to display any depth or much of what might make his character really interesting – although he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly burdened by functional, expositional dialogue that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at age seven …”). This is the sort of script that digital producers call “second-screen”, ensuring you know what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your device. Additionally, the background music is overpowering, sometimes nearly deafening, especially in the scene where the boxer gets too excited visiting Warren in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often disappointingly truncated. The most important moment is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uncomfortable. How exactly is this insanely risky confrontation going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. The actor gets laughs when his character informs a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his neighborhood: to reject bias and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: acting like the “monster from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the rift, the movie shows this as being worsened by a revealing book that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a story element clearly adapted from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his passing is merely mentioned in the closing credits, and not shown on film. Some interesting material here, but the blows fail to connect.

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