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This film boasts a talented ensemble, telling the real-life tale of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Yemeni migrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to confront racist bullies and molded into a celebrity titleholder in the 1990s. The trainer nurtured his showboating arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed turned against his mentor, excluding him and making him a mix of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Stephens is the assertive promoter Warren, who saw the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story in between is repeatedly dull and one-note. There is no nuance or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the chance to display any subtlety or much of what might make his character really interesting – although he’s clearly been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often lumbered with functional, expositional lines that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). It is the kind of script that digital executives call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also checking your device. And, the background music is overbearing, sometimes almost overwhelming, particularly in the moment where Hamed gets too excited calling on Warren in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the major boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is surely when, provoked past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, the trainer in fact proposes to get in the ring and box him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. How exactly is this insanely risky confrontation going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the film depicts this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that the trainer is supposed to have authored (a story element clearly adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is reportedly paid to his mentor after his passing is merely referenced in the end titles, and not dramatised on film. Some engaging content in this film, but the punches don’t land.

The film screened at the London film festival and is in British and Irish cinemas from 9 January.