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This film features a talented cast, telling the real-life story of coach Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Known as Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. Ingle cultivated his showboating confidence and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his coach, excluding him and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Pierce Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Toby Stephens appears as the bullish London promoter Warren, who recognized the potential that the coach had discovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

However, the film frankly lacks the Prince’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the all-important story between them is consistently flat and monotonous. It lacks nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is often lumbered with utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your boxing journey at seven years old …”). It is the sort of script that digital executives call “double-screen”, ensuring you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your phone. Additionally, the score is overpowering, sometimes nearly overwhelming, especially in the scene where Hamed gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial home.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically cut short. A key scene is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, the trainer actually offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is shocked and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely risky confrontation going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. Brosnan gets laughs when his character informs a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a paedophile, “Punch him in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the falling out, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a story element clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined final conversation – however the emotional tribute that Hamed is supposed to have given to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content in this film, but the punches don’t land.

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