Giant Review: Prince Naseem Biopic Starring Brosnan Misses the Punch

The movie boasts a talented ensemble, depicting the true story of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Yemeni immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the 1990s. The trainer cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his mentor, cutting him out and making him a mix of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan plays the trainer; El-Masry takes on the part of the prince, and Toby Stephens is the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who saw the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly misses the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important story between them is repeatedly flat and one-note. It lacks subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the opportunity to show any depth 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.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, explanatory dialogue that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that digital producers call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your device. And, the background music is overpowering, sometimes almost deafening, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited visiting the promoter in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very utmost, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the major boxing moments are often disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is surely when, provoked beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, Ingle in fact proposes to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the room is shocked and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely unwise confrontation going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there aren’t some nice jabs. The actor elicits humor when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a offender, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the falling out, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a story element evidently modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. Some interesting material here, but the blows don’t land.

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