Giant Film Analysis: Naseem Hamed Biopic Featuring Brosnan Lacks the Punch

The movie features a impressive cast, depicting the true story of coach Brendan Ingle, who guided a brash Sheffield youth from Middle Eastern immigrant family. Known as Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront prejudice and transformed into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, the boxer turned against his mentor, cutting him out and making him a mix of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Frank Warren, who saw the goldmine that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the film frankly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the all-important drama in between is repeatedly dull and monotonous. There is no nuance or light and shade in the depiction of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, doesn’t get the chance to show any depth or much of what might make his character really interesting – although he’s clearly been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at seven years old …”). It is the kind of script that digital producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also glancing at your phone. And, the background music is overbearing, at times almost deafening, particularly in the scene where the boxer gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial residence.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their very best, their relationship doesn’t quite comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are often anticlimactically cut short. The most important scene is surely when, provoked beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, the trainer actually offers to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this extremely unwise confrontation going to unfold? What will be the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. The actor gets laughs when his character informs a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his neighborhood: to reject bias and when you meet a offender, “Punch him in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

As for the falling out, the movie shows this as being exacerbated by a tell-all book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a plot point evidently modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his death is only mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content in this film, but the punches fail to connect.

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