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The movie features a talented cast, telling the true tale of coach Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Yemeni migrant parents. Known as Naseem Hamed, the fighter was coached to confront prejudice and molded into a media-friendly titleholder in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

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

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story between them is consistently dull and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise excellent talent, doesn’t get the chance to display any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is often burdened by functional, expositional lines that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of dialogue that digital executives call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re watching the film but also checking your phone. Additionally, the score is overpowering, sometimes nearly deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their considerable best, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are frequently disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is surely when, goaded past his limit in the training facility one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, Ingle actually proposes to get in the ring and box him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uneasy. How exactly is this extremely unwise confrontation going to play out? What will be the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. The actor elicits humor when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s instructing the kids from his local community: to oppose bias and when you encounter a offender, “Hit them in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when Hamed fidgets at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: posing as the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the falling out, the movie depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an interestingly conceived final conversation – however the heartfelt homage that Hamed is supposed to have given to his mentor after his death is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not dramatised on screen. There is engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

Giant was shown at the London film festival and is in UK and Irish theaters from January 9.