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The movie boasts a talented ensemble, telling the true story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Sheffield teenager from Yemeni immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to stand up to prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a blend of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly lacks the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important story in between is consistently dull and one-note. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The story is often burdened by utilitarian, explanatory dialogue that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the sort of script that streaming-TV producers call “second-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overbearing, sometimes nearly deafening, especially in the scene where the boxer gets too excited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the major fight scenes are frequently disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, the trainer actually proposes to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to play out? What will be the ending? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character tells a journalist what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter 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 beginning: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the rift, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that Ingle is supposed to have written (a story element clearly modified from another source), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content in this film, but the blows fail to connect.

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