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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, depicting the true story of coach Ingle, who guided a brash Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern migrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to confront prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his showboating confidence and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his mentor, cutting him out and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan portrays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the assertive London promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

However, the movie frankly lacks the Prince’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the crucial drama in between is consistently flat and monotonous. There is no subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, 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 drama is often lumbered with functional, explanatory dialogue that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the kind of dialogue that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your phone. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited calling on Warren in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their very best, their dynamic doesn’t quite comes to life, and the big set-piece boxing moments are frequently disappointingly truncated. A key moment is certainly when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a misguided “old man”, the trainer actually offers to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely risky confrontation going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he emotionally 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 Ingle informs a journalist what he’s instructing the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the ridiculous antics the coach makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the rift, the film shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that Ingle is allegedly authored (a story element clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have given to his mentor after his passing is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. Some engaging content in this film, but the punches don’t land.

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