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This film features a talented cast, telling the real-life story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to prejudice and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and making him a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry takes on the role of the prince, and Stephens is the bullish London promoter Warren, who saw the potential that Ingle had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the film honestly misses the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the all-important story in between is consistently dull and one-note. There is no subtlety or contrast in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the opportunity to display any subtlety or much of what might make his character really interesting – although he’s obviously been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with functional, expositional dialogue that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your career at seven years old …”). This is the kind of script that digital producers call “second-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your device. And, the background music is overpowering, sometimes almost deafening, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets too excited calling on the promoter in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really ignites, and the major fight scenes are often disappointingly truncated. A key scene is surely when, goaded past his limit in the training facility one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually offers to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this extremely risky standoff going to play out? How precisely the ending? Certainly the champion is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he emotionally hold back? 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 his character informs a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous antics Ingle makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “monster from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is allegedly authored (a story element clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his death is only referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. Some interesting material in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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