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This film features a talented ensemble, depicting the true tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who guided a brash Yorkshire youth from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his mentor, cutting him out and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of the prince, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the potential that Ingle had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important drama between them is consistently flat and one-note. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the opportunity to show any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often lumbered with functional, expositional lines that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of script that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, ensuring you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your phone. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes almost deafening, particularly in the scene where Hamed gets overexcited calling on the promoter in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

Although the leads do their very best, their relationship never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is surely when, goaded past his limit in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “old man”, Ingle in fact offers to step into the ring and box him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this insanely risky standoff going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the Prince 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. The actor elicits humor when his character tells a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “monster from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the falling out, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that Ingle is allegedly authored (a plot point clearly adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have given to his mentor after his death is only referenced in the end titles, and not dramatised on screen. Some engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

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