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This film boasts a impressive cast, telling the true tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who guided a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the part of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the bullish promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie frankly misses the fighter’s agility: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the all-important story in between is repeatedly dull and one-note. It lacks nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often burdened by functional, explanatory lines that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of dialogue that streaming-TV executives call “second-screen”, ensuring you know what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes nearly overwhelming, especially in the scene where the boxer gets too excited calling on Warren in his luxurious residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite comes to life, and the major fight scenes are frequently anticlimactically truncated. A key scene is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a delusional “old man”, Ingle actually proposes to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this insanely risky confrontation going to play out? How precisely the ending? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there aren’t some nice jabs. The actor elicits humor when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose bias and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous antics Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “monster from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the movie shows this as being worsened by a tell-all book that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a plot point clearly adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his death is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. Some interesting material here, but the punches fail to connect.

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