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The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the true tale of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Yemeni migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the 1990s. The trainer cultivated his showboating arrogance and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

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

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly lacks the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial story between them is consistently flat and one-note. It lacks subtlety or contrast in the depiction of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the chance to display any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s obviously been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often burdened by utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your career at seven years old …”). It is the kind 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 device. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited calling on Warren in his luxurious residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their very utmost, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the major fight scenes are frequently disappointingly truncated. A key moment is surely when, goaded past his limit in the training facility one day by Hamed as a delusional “elder”, the trainer actually proposes to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. Amusing too when Hamed squirms at the silly stunts the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the movie shows this as being worsened by a tell-all book that the trainer is allegedly written (a story element evidently adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. Some interesting material here, 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.