The Giant Review: Naseem Hamed Biopic Starring Brosnan Misses the Impact

This film boasts a impressive ensemble, telling the true tale of coach Ingle, who mentored a cheeky Yorkshire teenager from Middle Eastern immigrant parents. Dubbed Naseem Hamed, the youngster was coached to stand up to prejudice and transformed into a celebrity titleholder in the late 90s. The trainer cultivated his showboating arrogance and powerful punches, but after becoming rich, Hamed betrayed his coach, excluding him and making him a mix of Falstaff and Danny Rose.

Cast and Characters

Pierce Brosnan plays the trainer; Amir El-Masry takes on the part of Hamed, and Toby Stephens is the assertive promoter Warren, who recognized the goldmine that Ingle had uncovered.

Where the Movie Falls Short

Yet, the film honestly misses the Prince’s agility: the fight scenes run smoothly, but the all-important story in between is repeatedly dull and monotonous. It lacks nuance or light and shade in the depiction of the protagonist himself, and the actor, an otherwise outstanding performer, isn’t given the opportunity to display any depth or much of what might make his role truly engaging – although he’s clearly been working out and appears convincing in the boxing arena.

Dialogue and Music Issues

The drama is often lumbered with functional, explanatory lines that inform you precisely what is going on and what we are meant to feel (“Your journey began your career at age seven …”). This is the kind of dialogue that digital executives call “double-screen”, making sure you know what’s unfolding while you’re watching the movie but also glancing at your phone. And, the background music is overpowering, sometimes nearly overwhelming, particularly in the moment where Hamed gets overexcited visiting Warren in his luxurious home.

Performances and Key Moments

While El-Masry and Brosnan do their considerable best, their relationship never really comes to life, and the big set-piece boxing moments are frequently anticlimactically truncated. The most important moment is certainly when, provoked past his limit in the gym one day by the boxer as a delusional “elder”, Ingle in fact proposes to get in the ring and box him. All present in the gym is shocked and uncomfortable. In what way is this extremely unwise standoff going to unfold? What will be the ending? Certainly the champion is going to kill him? Or will he sentimentally pull his punches? It’s not clear.

Highlights and Humor

This isn’t to imply that there aren’t some good moments. Brosnan gets laughs when Ingle informs a journalist what he’s instructing the youths from his local community: to reject bias and when you meet a paedophile, “Hit them in the groin”. It’s funny too when the boxer squirms at the ridiculous antics Ingle makes him do in the beginning: acting like the “beast from the East”.

Plot and Conclusion

As for the rift, the film depicts this as being worsened by a tell-all publication that Ingle is supposed to have written (a plot point clearly modified from prior material), and there is an interestingly imagined last discussion – although the heartfelt homage that the boxer is supposed to have given to his mentor after his passing is merely referenced in the closing credits, and not shown on film. There is engaging content here, but the punches don’t land.

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