Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed (played with gusto by Egyptian-British Amir El-Masry) is a retired British-Yemeni boxer. This 110-minute drama shows his personal journey from the poor upbringing in working-class Sheffield during the early 1980s all the way to the multiple world championships between 1995 and 2000, and the lineal championship wins between 1998 and 2001. It dissects his complex relationship to coach Brendan Ingle (Pierce Brosnan), who plays a crucial role in his ascension.
From a very young age, Naz has to fight the prejudice associated with the colour of his skin. Brenda doubles as trainer and father figure, always lending a helping hand at the most crucial moments. Our protagonist has to knock down racist bullies outside the ring, thereby earning the resilience and strength required in order to fight inside the ring. Toby Stephens plays greedy London boxing manager and promoter Frank Warren.
Giant closely follows the familiar structure of the sports genre: humble beginnings, overcoming adversities, finding success, winning a big prize, fame, money, success, and then the inevitable downfall. All in all, this is a largely predictable crowdpleaser (similarly to the Rocky films; perhaps not coincidentally Sylvester Stallone is an exec producer here). It’s also elegantly filmed and finely acted. El-Masr often punches above his weight, while Brosnan delivers the average blows. Ali Saleh also deserves a mention: the juvenile actor infuses 12-year-old Naz with abundant charm and cheek – that’s a name to look out for.
Brendan and Naz’s relationship breaks down after the trainer asks Naz for a very large wage increase, just as his client is about to fight a legendary bout at Madison Square. He is convinced that the relationship to the man he so trusted became purely transactional. His perception was not entirely accurate. Both men are left permanently wounded, much more than any of Naz’s adversaries on the ring.
Athale attempts to lift the gloomy mood of his audiences with a fictional ending infused with saccharine. It doesn’t work. The outcome is just too sweet for its own sake.
Giant was the opening film at the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival, where this piece was originally written. In cinemas on Friday, January 9th.
