Amir El-Masry stars as Prince Naseem Hamed, in what has been marketed as biopic written and directed by Rowan Athale. However, it feels like he is a bit part in a story that focuses more on his trainer, Brendan Ingle, played excellently by Pierce Brosnan.
That may be a wise decision by Athale as the older man is far more sympathetic a character. His passion for helping young lads fulfil their promise only to be let down or betrayed by them is more unusual than Hamed’s stereotypical rags to riches story arc, leading to his downfall when his arrogance and complacency overtake him.
It is good to see the fighter’s outrageous style recreated in typically thrilling boxing scenes, though there could have been more. Away from the ring, the script contains a little too much expository dialogue and there is also too much made up for dramatic effect. Much is made of Ingle hurting Hamed by being critical of him in a book. That does not exist. Also there is one massive misstep towards the end when an imaginary reconciliation between the two is depicted in what felt like a manipulative attempt to have a more emotional ending.
Brosnan makes the whole thing watchable and both Katherine Dow Blyton and Olivia Barrowclough do what they can with underwritten roles as Ingle’s wife and an unlikely journalist respectively.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10