The Giant Review: Prince Naseem Biopic Starring Brosnan Misses the Punch

The movie features a talented ensemble, telling the true story of coach Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant confidence and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed turned against his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

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

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film frankly misses the Prince’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important story between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. It lacks nuance or contrast in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often burdened by utilitarian, expositional lines that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your phone. Additionally, the background music is overpowering, sometimes nearly deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited visiting Warren in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “elder”, the trainer in fact proposes to get in the ring and fight 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? Certainly the champion is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. The actor elicits humor when Ingle informs a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to reject prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer fidgets at the silly antics the coach makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the film shows this as being worsened by a revealing publication that the trainer is supposed to have written (a plot point evidently modified from another source), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his death is merely referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. Some interesting material in this film, but the blows don’t land.

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