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The movie boasts a talented ensemble, telling the true story of coach Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to prejudice and molded into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Stephens is the assertive promoter Warren, who saw the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly lacks the Prince’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the all-important story between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. It lacks subtlety or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his character really interesting – although he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is repeatedly burdened by utilitarian, explanatory dialogue that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at seven years old …”). This is the kind of dialogue that streaming-TV executives call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also checking your device. Additionally, the score is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their relationship never really ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often anticlimactically truncated. The most important scene is surely when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, the trainer in fact offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. In what way is this insanely unwise confrontation going to unfold? What will be the ending? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to oppose bias and when you meet a offender, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “monster from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the film shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is allegedly written (a story element clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have paid to his mentor after his passing is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. There is engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

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