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The movie boasts a impressive cast, depicting the true tale of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield teenager from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the 1990s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the bullish London promoter Warren, who saw the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie frankly lacks the fighter’s agility: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the crucial story in between is consistently dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or contrast 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 truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often lumbered with utilitarian, expositional lines that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). It is the sort of dialogue that digital producers call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s unfolding while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your device. And, the score is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, particularly in the scene where Hamed gets too excited visiting Warren in his luxurious residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is surely when, provoked beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, the trainer actually proposes to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: posing as the “beast from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the film shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all publication that the trainer is allegedly authored (a plot point clearly modified from another source), and there is an intriguingly conceived last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is reportedly given to his mentor after his death is only referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. There is interesting material here, but the punches fail to connect.

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