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The movie features a talented ensemble, telling the real-life tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield youth from Yemeni migrant parents. Known as Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his showboating confidence and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the movie honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the all-important story in between is consistently dull and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the chance to display 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 drama is repeatedly burdened by functional, expositional lines that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also checking your phone. Additionally, the score is overpowering, sometimes almost overwhelming, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his palatial residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the big set-piece boxing moments are often disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is surely when, provoked past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually offers to step into the ring and box him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise standoff going to play out? How precisely the outcome? Surely the champion is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to oppose bias and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed squirms at the silly antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the movie shows this as being worsened by a tell-all book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a plot point clearly modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is interesting material in this film, but the blows don’t land.

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