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This film features a impressive cast, depicting the real-life story of coach Brendan Ingle, who guided a brash Sheffield teenager from Yemeni immigrant family. Dubbed 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 flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the potential that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story in between is consistently flat and monotonous. There is no nuance or light and shade in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s obviously been working out and appears convincing in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The story is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional lines that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your boxing journey at seven years old …”). It is the sort of script that streaming-TV executives call “second-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, sometimes nearly deafening, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really ignites, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key moment is surely when, goaded past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually proposes to step into the ring and box him. All present in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this extremely unwise standoff going to play out? What will be the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his neighborhood: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous antics Ingle makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the film depicts this as being worsened by a revealing publication that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a plot point clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the end titles, and not dramatised on film. Some interesting material in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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