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The movie boasts a impressive ensemble, depicting the real-life tale of coach Ingle, who mentored a brash 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 titleholder in the late 90s. Ingle nurtured his showboating arrogance and powerful punches, but after achieving wealth, Hamed betrayed his mentor, excluding him and turning him into a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.

Performers and Roles

Brosnan plays Ingle; El-Masry embodies the part of the prince, and Toby Stephens appears as the assertive London promoter Warren, who saw the potential that the coach had discovered.

Film’s Shortcomings

Yet, the film honestly lacks the fighter’s fancy footwork: the fight scenes flow well, but the crucial drama between them is consistently flat and monotonous. There is no subtlety or contrast in the portrayal of the protagonist himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the chance to display any depth or much of what might make his character truly engaging – even though he’s obviously been working out and looks very plausible in the boxing arena.

Problems with Script and Sound

The drama is often lumbered with functional, expositional lines that tell you precisely what is happening and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). It is the kind of dialogue that streaming-TV executives call “double-screen”, ensuring you know what’s going on while you’re viewing the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the score is overbearing, sometimes almost overwhelming, especially in the scene where the boxer gets too excited calling on the promoter in his luxurious residence.

Performances and Key Moments

Although the leads do their considerable best, their relationship never really ignites, and the big set-piece boxing moments are frequently disappointingly cut short. A key moment is certainly when, goaded beyond endurance in the training facility one day by Hamed as a delusional “elder”, Ingle actually offers to step into the ring and fight him. All present in the room is stunned and uneasy. How exactly is this insanely risky standoff going to play out? What will be the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to defeat him? Or will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there are no some nice jabs. The actor elicits humor when Ingle tells a journalist what he’s teaching the kids from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the groin”. Amusing too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous antics Ingle makes him do in the early days: acting like the “beast from the Middle East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the falling out, the movie shows this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is allegedly written (a plot point evidently modified from another source), and there is an interestingly conceived last discussion – although the emotional tribute that the boxer is supposed to have paid to Ingle after his death is only referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. There is engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

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