Giant (2025)
My dad was never one for splashing out unnecessarily, but Prince Naseem Hamed's pay-per-view fights were a different matter entirely. I can still picture it now: the two of us squeezed onto the sofa, watching this flamboyant, impossibly cocky kid from Sheffield float into the ring like he'd already won, and then proceed to prove he had. I was mesmerised as a child. The showmanship, the unorthodox style, the sheer nerve of the man. So sitting in a cinema in 2025 and watching that story play out on the big screen in Rowan Athale's Giant is a genuinely surreal experience. The nostalgia hits you somewhere deep and unexpected, like one of Naz's own left hooks.
Amir El-Masry is extraordinary in the lead role. He captures the manic energy and physical brilliance of Hamed with the kind of total commitment that makes you forget you're watching a performance. The swagger, the speed, the coiled unpredictability of the man in his prime, El-Masry nails all of it. But as brilliant as he is, the film belongs to Pierce Brosnan.
I genuinely did not see that coming. Brosnan plays Brendan Ingle, the legendary Irish-Sheffield trainer who shaped Hamed from a scrappy kid into a world champion, and he is simply magnificent. Every trace of suave polish, every ghost of Bond or any other smooth operator he's ever played, is completely gone. In its place is a gruff, fiercely loyal, deeply principled man who loves his fighters like family. It is the best work Brosnan has ever put on screen, and I say that without hesitation. It is an Oscar-worthy turn in the truest sense, not as a throwaway compliment, but as a genuine statement of quality. He anchors the film's heart and provides a cracking human counterweight to the dazzling, ego-fuelled spectacle of his star pupil.
The film moves at a brisk, confident pace throughout. You're never left twiddling your thumbs or wondering when it's going to get going, because it's always going. You can feel the influence of executive producer Sylvester Stallone in the ring sequences, and that is meant as a compliment. The boxing is shot with a kinetic, bone-crunching intensity that puts a lot of modern sports dramas to shame. The camera work inside the ropes is phenomenal, giving every jab and hook real, devastating weight. It captures both the violence and the strange poetry of the sport in equal measure.
The relationship between Hamed and Ingle is where the film truly earns its keep, though. It's complicated, occasionally fractious, but rooted in something genuinely moving. There's a push and pull between teacher and pupil that feels honest rather than dramatised for convenience, and the film is smart enough not to flatten either man into a simple hero or villain. That complexity keeps you engaged even in the quieter stretches between bouts.
And then there's the finale. I won't give away the specifics, but there is a remarkable, poignant "what if" moment in the final act that completely caught me off guard. It tugs fiercely at the heartstrings in a way that a more conventional biopic would never dare attempt. It shifts the whole picture from a thoroughly enjoyable sports film into something genuinely moving about the fleeting nature of glory, about what's gained and what's sacrificed along the way, and about the particular bond between a coach and the fighter he gave everything to build up. I sat with it for a long while after the credits rolled.
Giant is, without question, one of the best boxing films I've seen in years. Four stars, and I'd have nudged it higher if my heart could take any more of that final act. Go and see it on the biggest screen you can find.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2025 | Watched: 2026-08-01
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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