The Giant Review: Naseem Hamed Movie Featuring Pierce Brosnan Misses the Impact

The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, depicting the true tale of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity titleholder in the 1990s. Ingle nurtured his flamboyant confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry takes on the role of Hamed, and Stephens is the bullish London promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the movie frankly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences flow well, but the crucial drama between them is consistently dull and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the depiction of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the chance to show any subtlety or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with functional, explanatory lines that tell you precisely what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). It is the kind of dialogue that digital producers call “double-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also glancing at your device. Additionally, the score is overpowering, at times almost deafening, especially in the moment where the boxer gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their dynamic never really ignites, and the major fight scenes are frequently disappointingly truncated. The most important scene is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a delusional “old man”, Ingle in fact proposes to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uncomfortable. In what way is this extremely risky standoff going to play out? What will be the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. The actor gets laughs when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “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: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the rift, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a revealing book that the trainer is allegedly written (a plot point clearly adapted from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is reportedly paid to his mentor after his passing is only referenced in the closing credits, and not dramatised on film. There is engaging content in this film, but the blows don’t land.

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