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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the true story of coach Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield teenager from Middle Eastern migrant family. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to confront racist bullies and transformed into a media-friendly world champion in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his showboating arrogance and lethal fists, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan portrays Ingle; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the assertive London promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the film frankly misses the fighter’s agility: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial story between them is repeatedly flat and monotonous. It lacks nuance or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the opportunity to display any subtlety or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the ring.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is often burdened by utilitarian, expositional dialogue that inform you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“You started your career at age seven …”). This is the kind of script that streaming-TV producers call “second-screen”, making sure you understand what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your device. And, the score is overpowering, sometimes almost overwhelming, particularly in the moment where the boxer gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial residence.

Acting and Pivotal Scenes

While the leads do their very best, their dynamic doesn’t quite ignites, and the major fight scenes are often anticlimactically cut short. The most important moment is surely when, goaded past his limit in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “elder”, Ingle actually proposes to get in the ring and fight him. Everyone in the gym is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely risky confrontation going to unfold? How precisely the ending? Certainly the Prince is going to kill him? Or will he emotionally hold back? It’s not clear.

Bright Spots and Comedy

This isn’t to imply that there are no some nice jabs. Brosnan elicits humor when Ingle tells a reporter what he’s teaching the youths from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a offender, “Hit them in the bollocks”. Amusing too when the boxer fidgets at the silly stunts Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “monster from the Middle East”.

Storyline and Final Thoughts

Regarding the falling out, the film depicts this as being exacerbated by a revealing book that the trainer is allegedly authored (a plot point evidently modified from another source), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – although the emotional tribute that Hamed is reportedly paid to Ingle after his passing is only referenced in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content here, but the punches fail to connect.

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