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The movie boasts a impressive cast, telling the real-life tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield teenager from Yemeni migrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to stand up to prejudice and molded into a media-friendly titleholder in the 1990s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed betrayed his mentor, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Warren, who saw the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly lacks the fighter’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important drama between them is consistently flat and one-note. It lacks nuance or light and shade in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the chance to show any subtlety 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 drama is repeatedly lumbered with functional, expositional dialogue that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of script that digital producers call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also checking your device. And, the background music is overbearing, sometimes almost deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited visiting Warren in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the big set-piece boxing moments are often disappointingly truncated. The most important scene is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the training facility one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle actually offers to step into the ring and fight him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to unfold? How precisely the outcome? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there aren’t some nice jabs. Brosnan gets laughs when his character informs a journalist what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a offender, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when Hamed fidgets at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all book that Ingle is allegedly authored (a plot point clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his passing is merely mentioned in the end titles, and not dramatised on screen. Some interesting material in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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