Giant Review: Prince Naseem Movie Starring Brosnan Lacks the Punch

This film boasts a talented cast, telling the true tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who guided a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Yemeni migrant family. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the fighter was taught to stand up to racist bullies and molded into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry embodies the part of the prince, and Stephens is the bullish promoter Frank Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the movie frankly lacks the Prince’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the crucial story between them is consistently dull and one-note. There is no nuance or light and shade in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the chance to display any subtlety or much of what might make his role truly engaging – even though he’s clearly been training and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with functional, explanatory lines that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at seven years old …”). This is the sort of script that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re watching the movie but also checking your phone. And, the score is overpowering, at times almost deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited calling on Warren in his palatial home.

Performances and Key Moments

Although the leads do their considerable utmost, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the big set-piece fight scenes are frequently disappointingly truncated. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “old man”, the trainer actually proposes to step into the ring and box him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uncomfortable. In what way is this insanely risky standoff going to play out? How precisely the outcome? Surely the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he emotionally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there are no some nice jabs. The actor gets laughs when Ingle informs a reporter what he’s teaching the kids from his neighborhood: to oppose prejudice and when you encounter a paedophile, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when Hamed fidgets at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the film shows this as being worsened by a tell-all book that Ingle is allegedly written (a story element evidently modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly conceived last discussion – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is reportedly given to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not dramatised on film. Some interesting material here, but the blows fail to connect.

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