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This film boasts a talented ensemble, telling the real-life story of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield teenager from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to confront prejudice and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his mentor, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of Falstaff and Broadway 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 assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important story between them is consistently dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character really interesting – even though he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional lines that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of dialogue that digital executives call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also checking your device. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited calling on Warren in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really ignites, and the major fight scenes are often disappointingly cut short. A key scene is surely when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle in fact offers to step into the ring and box him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. The actor gets laughs when his character informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a story element evidently modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have given to his mentor after his death is merely referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. Some interesting material here, but the blows don’t land.

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