Tyson (2008)

A mixture of original interviews and archival footage and photographs sheds light on the life experiences of Mike Tyson.

Director:

James Toback

Writer:

James Toback

Stars:

Mike Tyson, Mills Lane, Trevor Berbick

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mills Lane	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mike Tyson	...	Himself
Trevor Berbick	...	Himself (archive footage)
Cus D'Amato	...	Himself (archive footage)
William Cayton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim Jacobs	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joe Louis	...	Himself (archive footage)
Max Schmeling	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jack Dempsey	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gene Tunney	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rocky Marciano	...	Himself (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself (archive footage)
Carl Williams	...	Himself (archive footage)
Larry Holmes	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tyrell Biggs	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Mike Tyson narrates his life story as a reaction to fear and as a resolution not to be bullied or humiliated as he was when a boy in Brooklyn's mean streets. He starts boxing while at a state detention center; his coach there sends him to Cus D'Amato who becomes trainer, father figure, and confidence builder. Tyson wins a series of championships and, for six years, is unbeatable. A failed marriage, a felony conviction, and lack of training lead to his fall. We see later losing fights and archive footage of other incidents in his life. Tyson concludes by speaking philosophically about being a father and trying to be a better person.

---

Plot Keywords:

boxing | reference to mike tyson | boxing champion | professional sports | retrospective | 

---

Taglines:

The man. The legend. The truth.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tyson: The Movie

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,046, 26 April 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$887,126, 16 August 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fyodor Productions, Defiance Entertainment, Green Room Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Tyson" received only one distribution offer during its run on the festival circuit, from Sony Classics Pictures. After Toback accepted the offer, the film screened at the Cannes Film Festival and received a 10 minute standing ovation. Many of the executives who initially passed on the film were at that screening.

---

Quotes

Cus D'Amato: A boy comes to me with a spark of interest, I feed that spark and in becomes a flame, I feed the flame and it becomes a fire, I fed the fire and it becomes a roaring blaze.
[quote inscribed on his grave stone]

---

Connections

Featured in Boxing at the Movies: Kings of the Ring (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Legendary
Written by NaS
Performed by NaS

User Reviews

Iron Mike - for real.

What a great documentary. For anyone who likes boxing, this is a must-see. You hear Mike talking, almost non-stop, throughout giving numerous details about his personal life. The techniques used to present the film were terrific, though it does require you to pay attention; at several points, Toback runs multiple moving split-screens - it's an interesting device as you are forced to "follow" the dialog as one screen box goes quiet as another picks up where it left off.

The fight footage is incredible. I felt like I was watching all this footage again for the first time.

Throughout, the viewer is given access to a side of Tyson I doubt any but his closest friends and associates have ever witnessed. At many points he chokes up, fighting back tears - it's an amazing thing to watch.

And there's a lot of laughs. I won't reveal them, but there is some really funny stuff.