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The movie features a impressive cast, telling the real-life tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who guided a brash Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer betrayed his coach, excluding him and making him a mix of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry takes on the role of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the assertive London promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie frankly misses the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the crucial story between them is repeatedly flat and one-note. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his role truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the kind of script that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes almost overwhelming, particularly in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited calling on the promoter in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often anticlimactically truncated. The most important moment is surely when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “elder”, Ingle in fact proposes to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uncomfortable. In what way is this extremely risky standoff going to unfold? How precisely the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to oppose bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie shows this as being worsened by a revealing publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a story element clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his death is merely mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on film. Some engaging content here, but the blows don’t land.

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