Giant Review: Naseem Hamed Movie Starring Pierce Brosnan Misses the Impact
This film boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the true story of Irish boxing trainer Brendan Ingle, who guided a cheeky Sheffield teenager from Yemeni immigrant parents. Dubbed “Prince” Naseem Hamed, the youngster was taught to confront racist bullies and transformed into a celebrity world champion in the late 90s. The trainer nurtured his flamboyant arrogance and lethal fists, but after becoming rich, the boxer betrayed his mentor, excluding him and making him a mix of John Falstaff and Broadway Danny Rose.
Cast and Characters
Pierce Brosnan plays the trainer; El-Masry embodies the role of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that the coach had uncovered.
Film’s Shortcomings
Yet, the movie honestly misses the fighter’s fancy footwork: the boxing sequences flow well, but the crucial drama between them is consistently flat and one-note. It lacks subtlety or light and shade in the portrayal of Hamed himself, and El-Masry, an otherwise excellent talent, isn’t given the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his character really interesting – even though he’s clearly been training and appears convincing in the boxing arena.
Dialogue and Music Issues
The drama is often lumbered with functional, explanatory lines that tell you exactly what is going on and what we are supposed to be thinking (“Your journey began your boxing journey at age seven …”). This is the sort of dialogue that digital producers call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re viewing the film but also checking your phone. And, the score is overbearing, at times nearly deafening, especially in the scene where Hamed gets overexcited visiting the promoter in his palatial home.
Acting and Pivotal Scenes
While El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable best, their dynamic never really comes to life, and the major boxing moments are frequently disappointingly truncated. A key moment is surely when, provoked beyond endurance in the gym one day by Hamed as a misguided “old man”, the trainer actually proposes to step into the ring and box him. Everyone in the room is shocked and uneasy. In what way is this insanely unwise confrontation going to play out? How precisely the outcome? Surely the Prince is going to kill him? Alternatively will he sentimentally hold back? The resolution remains ambiguous.
Bright Spots and Comedy
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 neighborhood: to oppose bias and when you meet a offender, “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 “monster from the East”.
Plot and Conclusion
As for the rift, the film depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all book that Ingle is allegedly written (a story element clearly modified from prior material), and there is an intriguingly imagined final conversation – however the emotional tribute that the boxer is reportedly paid to his mentor after his passing is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. Some engaging content here, but the blows fail to connect.
Giant was shown at the festival and is in British and Irish theaters from 9 January.
