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This film boasts a impressive cast, telling the true story of coach Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield youth from Yemeni immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to racist bullies and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the 1990s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan portrays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the role of the prince, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film frankly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial story in between is consistently flat and monotonous. There is no subtlety or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the opportunity to display any subtlety or much of what might make his role really interesting – even though he’s obviously been working out and appears convincing in the ring.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional dialogue that tell you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at seven years old …”). This is the sort of script that digital producers call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the background music is overbearing, sometimes almost overwhelming, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited visiting Warren in his luxurious home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their relationship never really comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are frequently disappointingly truncated. A key scene is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, the trainer actually offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise confrontation going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

That’s not to say that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a journalist what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to reject prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

Regarding the rift, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a plot point clearly adapted from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have given to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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