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The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the true tale of coach Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his showboating arrogance and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Toby Stephens is the assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who saw the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important drama between them is repeatedly dull and monotonous. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been training and appears convincing in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The story is repeatedly burdened by utilitarian, explanatory dialogue that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the sort of dialogue that streaming-TV producers call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited visiting the promoter in his palatial home.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable utmost, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key scene is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle actually offers to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is stunned and uncomfortable. How exactly is this insanely risky standoff going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he emotionally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a offender, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the ridiculous antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “beast from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the rift, the film depicts this as being worsened by a revealing publication that the trainer is allegedly written (a story element evidently adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. There is interesting material in this film, but the punches don’t land.

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