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The movie boasts a talented ensemble, telling the real-life story of coach Ingle, who guided a brash Yorkshire teenager from Yemeni immigrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and molded into a media-friendly world champion in the 1990s. The trainer nurtured his showboating confidence and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, Hamed turned against his mentor, excluding him and making him a blend of Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Brosnan plays Ingle; Amir El-Masry embodies the part of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the bullish promoter Warren, who saw the potential that Ingle had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly misses the Prince’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences flow well, but the all-important drama between them is repeatedly dull and one-note. There is no subtlety or contrast in the depiction 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 role truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The story is often burdened by functional, explanatory dialogue that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). It is the sort of script that digital executives call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s going on while you’re viewing the film but also glancing at your device. Additionally, the background music is overbearing, at times almost deafening, especially in the scene where the boxer gets overexcited calling on the promoter in his palatial home.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

Although the leads do their considerable best, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the major fight scenes are often anticlimactically truncated. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, Ingle in fact offers to get in the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. In what way is this extremely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the champion is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

That’s not to say that there are no some nice jabs. Brosnan elicits humor when his character tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his neighborhood: to oppose bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer fidgets at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the film shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all publication that the trainer is allegedly written (a plot point evidently adapted from another source), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – however the heartfelt homage that the boxer is reportedly given to Ingle after his passing is only mentioned in the closing credits, and not shown on screen. Some engaging content in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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