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This film boasts a talented cast, depicting the true tale of coach Ingle, who guided a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Yemeni immigrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to confront prejudice and transformed into a celebrity titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a blend of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

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

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie honestly lacks the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the all-important drama in between is consistently flat and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the opportunity to show any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is often lumbered with functional, expositional lines that tell you exactly what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that digital producers call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the film but also glancing at your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets too excited visiting the promoter in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable best, their relationship doesn’t quite ignites, and the major boxing moments are often anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is certainly when, provoked beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, the trainer in fact offers to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the room is shocked and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to play out? How precisely the ending? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some good moments. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to reject bias and when you meet a offender, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the ridiculous stunts the coach makes him do in the early days: posing as the “beast from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the film depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a story element evidently modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived last discussion – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his death is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on film. Some engaging content here, but the blows fail to connect.

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