Out this week in cinemas is Giant, a film about the huge life of bombastic boxer Prince Naseem and the man who trained him. Starring Amir El-Masry as Naseem and Pierce Prosnan as Brendan Ingle, the film gives a blow-by-blow of both Naseem and Brendan’s lives and careers.
The film focuses more on Brendan than Naseem, showcasing his life and career and how he was pivotal to Naseem’s career. The film portrays Naseem as a person with something to prove, as he is a young man facing a lot of racism. And how was he taught to deal with this hate? Endure it and use it to fuel the power he wields in the ring. It’s horribly toxic and sets the stage for the kind of person Naseem becomes. It also shows how manipulative Brendan is, but the film barely touches on that. Instead, the film shows how Brendan has accidentally created a monster in Prince Naseem, one he can’t control. There is a sense throughout the film that some of the story is being left out to demonise Naseem, furthering the alter ego he crafted during his career.
A Giant casts quite the shadow
The best part of Giant is easily Pierce Brosnan, he portrays the long-suffering, but well-meaning Brendan Ingle well. There is a lot of charm to the character. He’s a man who believes he almost had the world, but didn’t quite get there in the end. He sees Naseem as his ticket back in, and watching the rise and fall of their relationship is fascinating. Amir is decent as Naseem; he is eating up the scenery when he is selling himself to the world. His dance moves in the ring are fun to watch for their ridiculous nature. Also, he has a face you just want to punch. This is good when portraying a man who believed himself to be the next Muhammad Ali.
This sadly highlights what brings the film down, though, for me at least. The production value on Giant is as high as a special on the BBC; it is not a theatrical quality film. When Naseem enters the ring in one of his signature reveals, it feels amateurish instead of awe-inspiring. On top of that, every ring he enters has almost the same backdrop. He is supposedly in some of the biggest arenas in the world, but it does not convey that on screen. The fight choreography is not impressive, which is a shame because you want that from a film about Prince Naseem. This is made all the more galling when you see that Balboa Productions is one of the companies behind the film. Not only that Sylvester Stallone is an executive producer.
Giant also felt amateurish in its writing, never delving deeper to get to know what really made a man like Naseem tick. There was a moment in the climax of the film, but it was too little too late. When you deal with sports films involving these larger-than-life figures, you can not half-ass it. Unfortunately, Giant did just that.
Stay tuned to Scannain for more news, reviews and interviews.