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The movie boasts a impressive cast, telling the real-life story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and molded into a media-friendly titleholder in the 1990s. The trainer cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a mix of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan portrays Ingle; El-Masry takes on the role of Hamed, and Stephens is the assertive London promoter Warren, who saw the potential that the coach had uncovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the film honestly lacks the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial drama in between is repeatedly dull and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the opportunity 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 lumbered with functional, explanatory dialogue that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times nearly overwhelming, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their relationship doesn’t quite comes to life, and the major boxing moments are often disappointingly cut short. A key scene is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, the trainer actually proposes to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely risky confrontation going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when his character informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the movie depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing publication that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a plot point clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his passing is merely mentioned in the end titles, and not dramatised on screen. Some interesting material here, but the blows don’t land.

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