As a Brit, I’m pretty ashamed that I didn’t already know who ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed was. Thankfully, new 2026 movie Giant is on hand to course-correct that, following the rise and fall of the world boxing champion from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
He might have thrown a knockout punch or two at Madison Square Gardens, but he comes from Sheffield, trained under the watchful eye of local legend Brendan Ingle. The pair worked together until the height of Naseem’s career, where an epic falling out caused them to split and never reconcile.
You might be reading this thinking it sounds incredibly similar to the Rocky movies, and many would agree with you. In fact, right above James Bond and Mamma Mia! star Pierce Brosnan’s head on the movie poster is a quote claiming Giant as the UK version of the Sylvester Stallone classic.
However, I came away from watching the film with a completely different perspective. If anything, Giant is more like the Billy Elliot of boxing – and when I put this to Brosnan (Ingle) and Amir El-Masry (Naseem), they were already using it as a reference.
No offence to Rocky, but Giant is much more than just throwing a punch
Listen… Billy Elliot might just be one of the best British movies of all time. It embodies the clash between toxic and vulnerable masculinity, following your passion and talent in the face of all odds, and having the right mentor to nurture the very best of it all. Of course, having exceptional footwork doesn’t hurt either.
Although there’s no T-Rex soundtrack in Giant, it follows the above themes almost to the letter. If you’re looking for the ideal double bill this month, here it is.
“When we were talking to Rowan [Athale, director], his reference was the boxing Billy Elliot,” El-Masry tells me. “It’s very ingrained culturally as a Northern drama. I think that’s something quite unique and special about it. It’s nice that people are making the Rocky comparison, and it’s nice that the person who made Rocky has put his stamp of approval on this. But I think it’s more apt that it is compared to Billy Elliot in that sense.”
“I heard that reference to Billy Elliot. It was really touching. Such a beautiful movie,” Brosnan adds. “I never heard it from Rowan, but it makes sense. I’m very proud of Giant. It was a great responsibility to play these men. They were so stubborn, so pig headed. Just wouldn’t give an inch, it seems.”
Really, is this double bill (or at least Giant on its own) the perfect movie for boys in 2026?
“Absolutely, yes,” El-Masry concludes. “This film does show two men who are, once they become vulnerable and everything comes out into the open, that they’re able to move forward. When you’re steeped in your stubbornness, you don’t get anything. These two people become very hostile and distant towards each other. When you’re in your emotions and you wear your heart on your sleeve, you’re much more likely to get the result that you really want to deep down.”
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