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The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the real-life tale of coach Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to racist bullies and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the 1990s. Ingle nurtured his showboating arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a mix of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the bullish London promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the potential that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie frankly lacks the fighter’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important story in between is consistently dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional lines that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the sort of dialogue that digital producers call “second-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your device. And, the score is overpowering, at times almost deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited visiting the promoter in his palatial home.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable utmost, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often anticlimactically truncated. A key moment is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “elder”, the trainer in fact offers to get in the ring and box him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise confrontation going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when Ingle informs a journalist what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a offender, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the falling out, the film depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is supposed to have written (a plot point clearly modified from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his passing is only mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on film. Some engaging content in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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