BIOPIC IS SPAR FOR THE COURSE

SYLVESTER Stallone is an executive producer of writer-director Rowan Athale’s lightweight biographical drama about the rise of Prince Naseem Hamed, glimpsed though the eyes of the boxer’s garrulous trainer, Dublin-born former professional fighter Brendan Ingle.

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GIANT CERT 15, IN CINEMAS NOW

In 1981 Sheffield, Yemeni shop owner Caira Hamed (Elika Ashoori) enrols her three boys at a boxing gym and trainer Brendan (Pierce Brosnan) gravitates towards the youngest, seven-year-old Naseem (Ghaith Saleh).

The youngster blossoms (played later by Ali Saleh and Amir El-Masry) and Brendan stokes his protege’s self-confidence to prepare him for glory in the ring:

"If you climb close enough to the sun, you'll cast the shadow of a giant.”

When promoter Frank Warren (Toby Stephens) propels Naseem into the big leagues, fissures deepen in Brendan's relationship with his talent.

Giant is a robust and conventional sporting biopic that venerates Brendan's role, especially when it comes to moulding young minds at his gym.

Brosnan exudes warmth and resilience as the inspirational mentor while El-Masry mimics Naseem’s exuberant physicality with aplomb - but Athale's script doesn't delve deeply into the psychological meat of the surrogate father-son dynamic. Dramatic licence in the closing act attempts to paper over these visible cracks.

Athale ducks and dives in the opening minutes with a stylish black and white slow-motion sequence that nods to his inspirations (Raging Bull, Rocky).