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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the true story of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield youth from Yemeni migrant family. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to stand up to prejudice and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the 1990s. The trainer nurtured his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, cutting him out and making him a mix of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan portrays Ingle; El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Toby Stephens appears as the assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine 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 crucial story between them is repeatedly dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often lumbered with functional, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the kind of dialogue that streaming-TV producers call “second-screen”, ensuring you know what’s going on while you’re viewing the film but also glancing at your phone. And, the background music is overpowering, at times almost deafening, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited calling on Warren in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very utmost, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the major boxing moments are often disappointingly cut short. A key scene is surely when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “old man”, the trainer in fact proposes to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there are no some nice jabs. Brosnan gets laughs when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when Hamed squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a story element evidently adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have given to Ingle after his death is merely referenced in the end titles, and not shown on film. There is interesting material in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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