The biopic "Giant" falls short of expectations, despite a talented cast and a compelling true story. The film tells the tale of Prince Naseem Hamed's rise to boxing fame under the guidance of trainer Brendan Ingle, who helped shape the young fighter into a formidable champion while also mentoring him on how to stand up to racist bullies.
Pierce Brosnan brings gravitas as Ingle, while Amir El-Masry shines as the charismatic yet troubled Hamed. Toby Stephens provides solid support as Frank Warren, the London promoter who sees Hamed's potential and helps bankroll his career. However, the movie falters in its dramatic depiction of Hamed's character, reducing him to a one-note persona devoid of nuance or depth.
The film's biggest misstep is its predictable and underwhelming portrayal of the drama between Ingle and Hamed. Despite some amusing moments, such as Brosnan's witty remarks about teaching kids from his local community to reject prejudice and "punch pedophiles in the bollocks," the tension between the two leads never quite materializes.
The plot points are also heavy-handedly conveyed through cringe-worthy exposition, with characters delivering lines that feel like they were ripped straight from a streaming-TV script. The background music often overshadows the dialogue, making it difficult to make out what's being said.
Perhaps the most underwhelming aspect of the film is its climax – specifically, the infamous standoff between Ingle and Hamed in the gym. The scene promises something momentous, but instead delivers a lackluster confrontation that fails to live up to expectations.
Despite some enjoyable moments and a talented cast, "Giant" feels like a missed opportunity. With more attention paid to developing Hamed's character and crafting a more nuanced dramatic arc, this biopic could have been truly great. As it stands, the punches don't quite land.
Pierce Brosnan brings gravitas as Ingle, while Amir El-Masry shines as the charismatic yet troubled Hamed. Toby Stephens provides solid support as Frank Warren, the London promoter who sees Hamed's potential and helps bankroll his career. However, the movie falters in its dramatic depiction of Hamed's character, reducing him to a one-note persona devoid of nuance or depth.
The film's biggest misstep is its predictable and underwhelming portrayal of the drama between Ingle and Hamed. Despite some amusing moments, such as Brosnan's witty remarks about teaching kids from his local community to reject prejudice and "punch pedophiles in the bollocks," the tension between the two leads never quite materializes.
The plot points are also heavy-handedly conveyed through cringe-worthy exposition, with characters delivering lines that feel like they were ripped straight from a streaming-TV script. The background music often overshadows the dialogue, making it difficult to make out what's being said.
Perhaps the most underwhelming aspect of the film is its climax – specifically, the infamous standoff between Ingle and Hamed in the gym. The scene promises something momentous, but instead delivers a lackluster confrontation that fails to live up to expectations.
Despite some enjoyable moments and a talented cast, "Giant" feels like a missed opportunity. With more attention paid to developing Hamed's character and crafting a more nuanced dramatic arc, this biopic could have been truly great. As it stands, the punches don't quite land.
, but unfortunately, it was just okay 
. Pierce Brosnan brings his A-game as Ingle, and Amir El-Masry shines in the lead role, but for me, Hamed's character is still missing that special something 
. The drama between him and Ingle felt forced, like they were trying to pack too much into 2 hours 
. And don't even get me started on the cringe-worthy exposition 
- it was like they took all the cool lines from a TV show script 
and just... copied them 
. The climax was just so underwhelming 
, like they didn't even try to punch it hard enough 
. I guess what I'm saying is, Giant had potential, but it didn't quite deliver the goods 
.
Pierce Brosnan was literally the only thing keeping me entertained but even he couldn't save the whole film from its cringeworthy moments 
i mean pierce brosnan is alright as ingle but amir el-masry just felt like he was phoning it in as hamed the whole movie just feels like a rehash of every other sports biopic where they cram all the drama into one super intense scene and then just kinda fade away 
?
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I was expecting a lot more drama, but they just glossed over it. The fight scenes were cool tho! 
The guy was a complex person with so much going on behind the scenes. And yeah, Pierce Brosnan was awesome as Brendan Ingle, but Amir El-Masry's character felt kinda one-dimensional. 
Maybe they could've done a better job of showing the tension between Ingle and Hamed without making it feel like a predictable cliché. 
Did you know that biopics have a 72% renewal rate compared to other films? That's because they tap into people's fascination with true stories! But in this case, I think they could've done better.
I wonder what audiences are looking for in a biopic. Maybe more subtlety? Less cringe-worthy exposition?
. Overall, I think "Giant" could've been a game-changer but it just falls flat. I'm still rooting for Pierce Brosnan's performance though 
. i mean pierce brosnan is great but amir el-masry as naseem hamed felt like he was just going through the motions 
. and dont even get me started on the soundtrack - its like they just threw some generic rock music at us and hoped for the best 
. maybe ill give it another watch later but for now its a solid 6/10 from me 
. I mean, come on, we all know they're gonna have a falling out in the gym or something. It's not like it's a surprising twist or anything 
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. But if that's not what you're looking for, then maybe just give it a try and make up your own mind about it 
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. The whole thing just kinda felt predictable, you know? And don't even get me started on the music - sometimes I couldn't even hear what was being said because of how loud it was 
. I also wish they'd shown more of Hamed's backstory and inner struggles, 'cause that's where I think the real drama would've been 
. Maybe they should've gone for a more realistic approach to show the struggles of Hamed and Ingle, instead of just glossing over the drama