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This film boasts a talented cast, depicting the true story of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield youth from Yemeni migrant family. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan portrays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the potential that Ingle had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important story in between is consistently flat and one-note. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly burdened by functional, expositional dialogue that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your career at seven years old …”). It is the sort of dialogue that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the background music is overbearing, sometimes nearly deafening, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited visiting the promoter in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although the leads do their very utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite comes to life, and the big set-piece boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically cut short. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, the trainer actually proposes to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is stunned and uncomfortable. In what way is this extremely risky confrontation going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. The actor gets laughs when his character tells a journalist what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: posing as the “beast from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point evidently modified from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his passing is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on film. Some engaging content here, but the punches fail to connect.

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