The movie features a talented cast, depicting the real-life tale of Irish boxing trainer Ingle, who mentored a brash Sheffield teenager from Yemeni migrant family. Known as “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to confront racist bullies and molded into a celebrity titleholder in the 1990s. Ingle cultivated his flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, the boxer turned against his coach, cutting him out and making him a blend of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.
Performers and Roles
Brosnan portrays Ingle; Amir El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Stephens appears as the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the potential that Ingle had uncovered.
Where the Movie Falls Short
Yet, the movie honestly misses the Prince’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences run smoothly, but the crucial story in between is repeatedly dull and one-note. There is no subtlety or contrast in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and the actor, 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 obviously been training and appears convincing in the ring.
Problems with Script and Sound
The drama is repeatedly lumbered with utilitarian, explanatory lines that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are meant to feel (“You started your boxing journey at seven years old …”). This is the kind of dialogue that streaming-TV producers call “double-screen”, ensuring you know what’s unfolding while you’re watching the film but also checking your phone. Additionally, the background music is overpowering, at times nearly deafening, especially in the moment where Hamed gets too excited calling on the promoter in his palatial home.
Acting and Pivotal Scenes
Although El-Masry and Brosnan do their very utmost, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the big set-piece fight scenes are frequently disappointingly cut short. The most important moment is surely when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by the boxer as a misguided “old man”, the trainer in fact proposes to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. In what way is this insanely unwise confrontation going to unfold? What will be the outcome? Certainly the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally pull his punches? The resolution remains ambiguous.
Highlights and Humor
That’s not to say that there are no some good moments. The actor elicits humor when Ingle tells a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to oppose prejudice and when you meet a offender, “Punch him in the groin”. Amusing too when Hamed squirms at the silly antics the coach makes him do in the beginning: posing as the “monster from the East”.
Plot and Conclusion
As for the falling out, the film shows this as being worsened by a tell-all book that Ingle is supposed to have authored (a plot point clearly adapted from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined last discussion – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is reportedly given to his mentor after his death is only mentioned in the end titles, and not shown on screen. There is engaging content here, but the blows don’t land.
The film screened at the festival and is in UK and Irish theaters from January 9.
