Carl Roberts 
“Rowan Athale’s Giant is a stunning and heartbreaking true-life boxing biopic, featuring great performances from Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry”
It looks to be a peak time for making and releasing boxing movies. After last year’s outstanding The Cut and Christy, it is time for the legend of Prince Naseem Hamed to step into the ring. Hitting screens this Friday is the movie, Giant. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan as Hamed’s coach and trainer, Brendan Ingle. Amir El-Masry plays Naseem Hamed. Brilliantly directed by Rowan Athale, the film tells the story of the journey the pair went on. It covers both the highs and the lows of their time together. Furthermore, it also covers the eventual unceremonious parting of the ways. Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood are among the executive producers through Balboa Productions. Can the film become a knockout success, or does it hit the canvas hard?
PREMISE
The film follows Prince Naseem Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership, Naz’s unorthodox style, cocky persona, and sheer dominance in the ring propelled them to the top of boxing’s elite and unprecedented levels of global superstardom, all in the face of the rampant Islamophobia and racism of ’80s and ’90s Britain.
THOUGHTS
By the time the end credits roll, there is little doubt: you will love one and hate the other. But at the same time, you come out of the film with a feeling of maybe you’re being too harsh. The film is meant to tell the story of Ingle and Hamed, but it feels more like it’s meant to lift Ingle up. Meanwhile, it knocks Hamed and his legend down. The real truth of what happened between Ingle, Hamed and his brothers is known only to them. We’ve got Ingle’s version of events in his book, but we don’t know Hamed’s side of the story. Did his brother really treat Ingle in such a disgusting, demeaning, and hurtful way? Or is that just one side of the real story? The way Hamed’s brother Riath (an incredible Arian Nik) treats Ingle throughout has us hating him without mercy.
While Hamed’s reputation and public persona inside the ring split debate, there is no denying his talent for the sport. During the film, we cheer him on early in his career, marvel at how determined he is to succeed in the sport from an early age, but then find ourselves despising him. Hamed was a showboater during the main part of his career, that much cannot be denied, but was he really self-centred, arrogant, demeaning and disrespectful outside of the ring? He is shown to be a nasty piece of work while in the spotlight. The disrespect he showed to his opponents is true, but did that really carry over into his relationship with Ingle? Did his brother really drip poison in his ear regarding his friend, coach and trainer? No matter what, the film doesn’t show him in a good light from the halfway point.
PIERCE BROSNAN AND AMIR EL-MASRY
The pairing of Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry is where the film’s strength really lies. The pair totally immerse themselves in their roles, delivering performances that astound us. Knowing that the film’s events are based on truth, we can’t help but fully enjoy what we are seeing on screen. While the boxing scenes do take up some of the runtime, the film focuses more on the pair’s relationship, which elevates it that much higher. Brosnan comes across as 100% likeable, giving Brendan Ingle a charming, unquenchable quality that makes us warm to him instantly. In the scenes featuring his wife, Alma (a heartfelt performance by Katherine Dow Blyton), we see the man who trained Hamed. Brosnan has never been better than he is here. His quiet, understated and memorable performance stands out like a shining beacon.
Amir El-Masry also gives a career-best performance as Hamed. Taking over the role from around the twenty-minute mark, from younger actors playing the youthful Hamed, El-Masry has us believing he really is the boxer. His portrayal is pitch perfect, showing Hamed’s undoubted qualities in the ring, his charismatic ring persona and his boastful, egotistical public image. The actor throws himself into the role, not shirking from the brutality of the sport, portraying Hamed’s bad guy image during his fights, or from the more dramatic, heavyweight scenes that permeate the film at times. He plays off of Brosnan’s performance and delivers a knockout one of his own. This could be a BAFTA-nominated performance from the actor, one that he is deserving of.
VERDICT
Rowan Athale’s Giant is a stunning and heartbreaking true-life boxing biopic, featuring great performances from Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry. With superb direction and writing from Athale, the film delivers a flooring biopic, one that almost lands a knockout. From a slow, building start to its final scenes, the film lands nearly every punch. Knowing that Ingle and Hamed never reconciled before Ingle’s death in 2018 is a hammer blow to us. Despite a sequence in which the pair meet backstage at a boxing match and smooth things over, we are shocked to see that this is nothing more than a fantasy of Ingle’s. Hamed did pay tribute to his former trainer later on, but it was too little, too late.
Ingle wrote about his relationship with Hamed in a book, much to Hamed’s anger. Their relationship had already fallen apart and had ended by then, with Hamed a world champion. By the time we reach this story’s climax, we can see both men’s perspectives. Ingle had the right to tell his story about his time with Hamed, while Hamed had the right to feel aggrieved by these revelations. Who was right and who was wrong isn’t as clear-cut or as transparent as we might think. However, we can decide for ourselves whose side we are on by the time the credits roll. By that time, we feel we have gone the distance with the film, hitting the canvas a few times before getting up to score a resounding victory. This is a sporting biopic that wins by knockout and not on points or TKO. One that will be remembered as a great sports drama. A triumph.
Giant will be in UK cinemas from Friday, courtesy of True Brit Entertainment.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
