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The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the real-life story of coach Brendan 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 celebrity titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his mentor, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry embodies the part of the prince, and Stephens is the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie frankly misses the Prince’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. It lacks subtlety or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any subtlety or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s obviously been training and appears convincing in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often lumbered with utilitarian, explanatory dialogue that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of script that digital executives call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also checking your phone. Additionally, the score is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited visiting Warren in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very best, their dynamic never really ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often anticlimactically cut short. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, Ingle in fact offers to step into the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the champion is going to kill him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some nice jabs. The actor gets laughs when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is supposed to have authored (a story element evidently adapted from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his death is only referenced in the end titles, and not shown on film. There is interesting material in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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