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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, depicting the real-life story of coach Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield teenager from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the 1990s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer betrayed his mentor, excluding him and making him a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Stephens appears as the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie frankly lacks the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story in between is consistently dull and monotonous. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the depiction of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often burdened by functional, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at seven years old …”). It is the kind of dialogue that digital executives call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also checking your device. Additionally, the score is overpowering, at times almost deafening, especially in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited calling on Warren in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is certainly when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle in fact proposes to step into the ring and fight him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this extremely unwise standoff going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there aren’t some nice jabs. The actor gets laughs when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the groin”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the falling out, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that the trainer is supposed to have written (a story element clearly adapted from another source), and there is an intriguingly conceived final conversation – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is reportedly given to Ingle after his death is only referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. Some engaging content here, but the blows fail to connect.

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