Giving the Rocky series a run for its money, Giant delivers a dramatic blow from the moment the cinema lights dim and the screen whirls into action. Retelling the true story of 'Prince' Naseem Hamed's tumultuous boxing career, the film starring Pierce Brosnan is equal parts heartwarming, heartbreaking and nail-bitingly inspiring.
Set against the backdrop of 1980s Sheffield, the motion picture whisks us back in time to a very different England and tackles themes of racial prejudice, success, failure and ultimately the hunt for never-ending glory.
Taking on the main role, The Crown's Amir El-Masry joins forces with the James Bond legend to show audiences what really happened between the real-life boxer and his trainer and coach, Irishman Brendan Ingle MBE, who died in 2018.
What unfolds over the course of just under two action-packed hours is a cautionary tale of why we should never forget where we came from. Beautiful acting, coupled with inspired directing and writing - I thoroughly enjoyed watching what happens when two individuals' not-so-humble quest for glorious fame intertwine and collide in the most devastating of circumstances. Let's get into it…
What is Giant about?
The biopic starts at the beginning, on the streets of Sheffield. Audiences are immediately introduced to the eccentric character that is Brendan Ingle (played by Pierce Brosnan) who owns a boxing gym.
As the scenes unfold, they chronicle Brendan's discovery of Naseem 'Naz' Hamed (played by Amir El-Masry) and his subsequent rise to fame. From finding his footwork inside the community gym, to fighting his first amatuer fight and making it to the professional leagues, viewers are made to feel as if they are with the dynamic duo each step of the way.
Becoming Naz's trainer and manager, the legendary coach treats the budding star as if he is his own son, fostering and nurturing his confidence and encouraging his flamboyant antics in the ring. Thus, the Prince is born and with him comes a flurry of quick recognition and a shift in the team's dynamic.
The second half of the film documents the tumultuous relationship between the pair as they both try to grasp the newfound opportunity with both hands. With the help of a new promoter, they take their show all the way to America and that's where things start to take a dive for the worse, jeopardising their almost 18-year relationship.
Raw, gritty, edge-of-seat-worthy acting
From start to finish, the actors in the film commit with a capital C. Each performance is executed perfectly, bringing raw emotion big enough to fill a large cinema screen and telling the story as if it were their own.
Of course, Pierce and Amir are the standout talent from the film, playing the main characters but the rest of the cast, that includes soap star Katherine Dow Blyton, Run Away's Connor Porter and Count Abdulla's Arian Nik, are equally spellbinding.
Amir captures the essence of Naz's quirky character and Pierce embodies the tortured, bruised soul of Brendan to create a gripping watch that captured every ounce of my attention.
The tense moments had me sitting on the edge of my seat, while the blowouts, betrayal and heartbreak had me welling up as I felt the actors' pain through the screen.
If I had to find a flaw, it would be Pierce's attempt at an inner city Dublin accent. Despite being a native Irishman, the star struggled to continuously keep up the intonation and veered into Liverpudlian territory on a few occasions. While a little distracting, perhaps because I am Irish myself, his dodgy accent was a small price to pay for the rest of his stellar performance.
The hearty scene stealer
Many moments tugged at my heartstrings but there was one scene that filled the screening room with wholesome, warm, fuzzy joy.
Taking a young Naz for a walk in the green Yorkshire hills overlooking the city, Brendan discusses his future and the pair trade dreams as they stroll along in the sunshine. A real father-son moment, despite the duo being unrelated, the scene oozes youthful, unapologetic hope and is a nice watch given that it is the start of a brand new year.
A true cinematic turning point, the moment carries an optimistic weight as Naz and his trainer affirm one another's belief in his abilities to go all the way. Foreshadowing what is to come, they make a deal and shake on it, promising to take on the world together no matter what.
The themes, acting and feeling in this simple conversation ignited a sense of excitement in me that made me move closer to the edge of my seat as I readied myself to find out what was going to happen next.
An ending oozing with life lessons
If you want to know how this story ends, you'll have to go watch it for yourself but one thing's for sure, you'll leave the cinema more contemplative than when you walked in and took your seat.
The conclusion of Naz's professional career is a real lesson in honouring your roots and learning how to grow without ripping them out of the ground completely. The tornado that became the Prince, left a trail of destruction that would risk losing the chance at a reconciliation leaving the audience to think about relationships in their own lives.
With little to no expectations heading into the viewing, having no prior knowledge of the star's history, I left feeling inspired, cautioned and sad for two strangers I have never met. If you want a fast-moving, deep real-life dose of thought-provoking inspiration, Giant should be your next watch when it comes out in cinemas on Friday, January 9.
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