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The movie features a talented ensemble, depicting the true story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to confront prejudice and molded into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his mentor, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; Amir El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who saw the potential that Ingle had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the crucial story in between is repeatedly flat and monotonous. There is no nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the chance to display any subtlety or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often burdened by utilitarian, explanatory lines that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at seven years old …”). This is the sort of script that digital executives call “second-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your phone. Additionally, the score is overbearing, sometimes almost overwhelming, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the big set-piece boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “elder”, the trainer in fact offers to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the room is stunned and uncomfortable. How exactly is this insanely risky standoff going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he emotionally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some nice jabs. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a journalist what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Hit them in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: acting like the “monster from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the rift, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a revealing book that Ingle is allegedly authored (a story element evidently adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is reportedly paid to his mentor after his death is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on film. There is interesting material in this film, but the blows don’t land.

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