🔗 Share this article

The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the real-life tale of coach Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to prejudice and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the 1990s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the part of Hamed, and Toby Stephens appears as the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who saw the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the film honestly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial story between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. It lacks subtlety or light and shade in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly burdened by utilitarian, expositional dialogue that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at seven years old …”). It is the sort of script that digital executives call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also checking your device. And, the background music is overpowering, at times almost deafening, particularly in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often disappointingly truncated. The most important moment is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, the trainer actually offers to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. How exactly is this insanely risky standoff going to unfold? How precisely the outcome? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he emotionally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. The actor gets laughs when Ingle informs a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to oppose bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. Amusing too when Hamed fidgets at the silly antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the film depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point evidently modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on screen. Some interesting material in this film, but the punches don’t land.

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