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The movie features a impressive ensemble, telling the true story of coach Ingle, who mentored a brash Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his coach, excluding him and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the bullish London promoter Frank Warren, who saw the potential that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly lacks the Prince’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial drama between them is consistently flat and monotonous. It lacks nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often lumbered with functional, expositional dialogue that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at seven years old …”). This is the sort of dialogue that digital executives call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also checking your phone. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited calling on the promoter in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable best, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the major boxing moments are often anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, Ingle actually proposes to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is stunned and uncomfortable. In what way is this insanely risky confrontation going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. Brosnan elicits humor when his character informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose bias and when you encounter a offender, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the silly antics Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the film shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that the trainer is supposed to have authored (a story element clearly modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that the boxer is reportedly given to his mentor after his death is only referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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