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This film boasts a talented cast, depicting the true story of coach Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Yemeni immigrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his showboating arrogance and lethal fists, 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

Pierce Brosnan portrays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the role of the prince, and Stephens is the assertive promoter Frank Warren, who saw the potential that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie frankly misses the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important drama between them is repeatedly flat and monotonous. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s obviously been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often lumbered with functional, expositional dialogue that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the kind of script that streaming-TV producers call “second-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also checking your device. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited visiting Warren in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable utmost, their relationship never really ignites, and the major fight scenes are often anticlimactically cut short. The most important scene is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, Ingle in fact offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is shocked and uncomfortable. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to play out? 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 nice jabs. Brosnan elicits humor when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a offender, “Hit them in the groin”. Amusing too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the falling out, the movie shows this as being worsened by a revealing publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point clearly modified from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his passing is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not shown on film. Some engaging content in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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