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The movie boasts a talented ensemble, telling the real-life tale of coach Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield teenager from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to stand up to prejudice and molded into a media-friendly titleholder in the 1990s. The trainer cultivated his showboating confidence and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and making him a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Stephens is the assertive London promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the all-important drama between them is repeatedly flat and one-note. There is no subtlety or contrast in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity to display any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is repeatedly burdened by utilitarian, expositional dialogue that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at age seven …”). It is the kind of script that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also checking your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times nearly overwhelming, especially in the scene where Hamed gets overexcited visiting Warren in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their dynamic doesn’t quite comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key scene is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, Ingle in fact offers to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the room is stunned and uncomfortable. In what way is this extremely risky standoff going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. The actor elicits humor when his character informs a journalist what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to oppose bias and when you meet a offender, “Hit them in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the film depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that the trainer is allegedly written (a story element clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have given to his mentor after his death is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. Some engaging content 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.