"Tyson" has it all. A confessional film that showcases just how crazy, funny, spiritual, fun, pained, and fascinating the troubled boxer is as a man. He grew up in Brooklyn, the product of a rough neighborhood and constant bullying. He tried to escape the humiliation he felt by stealing, which landed him in jail where he picked up boxing as a hobby. When he got out he found his first real father figure in Constantine "Cus" D'Amato, an old trainer who taught him the spiritual side of boxing and the confidence that went along with it. He studied tape of guys like Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, and Muhammad Ali, and during the 80's became a force to be reckoned with. Then "Cus" died and Mike lost his way, becoming very taken with his own indestructible image and like all great tragic stories, that always guarantees a fall. First his disastrous marriage to Robin Givens made him known as a cheater and a beater, and then he got cocky and lazy and lost a big fight to Buster Douglass. Then as the cherry on top, he was accused of rape and sentenced to 3 years in jail. His career would continue to go down hill from there.
This is Tyson's side of the story, so don't expect fair and balanced, but also don't expect him to pull any punches. He takes on some tough questions here and succeeds mightily in turning the tide in his favor. With that voice and that facial tattoo your instantly hooked, but what keeps you rooted to the screen is an insightful character study as well as a sad tale of how a guy with a "me against the world" mentality managed to take himself places he never dreamed of going, but also let his pit-bull-like emotions and out of control pride get the better of his reasoning. Director James Toback does a great job adding pictures and video clips for some flavor but this is Tyson's movie and his commentary just offers highlight after highlight after highlight.
His recollection of "Cus" D'Amato is surprisingly moving. His description of his mindset as a boxer is something next to God-like arrogance, and his views on women and sex expose more of that same type of domination. The commentary on the Holyfield fight, as well as the ear biting re-match, is fascinating to listen to. His description of prison is a haunting nightmare. He describes the people around him as leaches, especially Don King who he says would "Kill his own mother for a dollar." There are too many great moments in this movie to name but expect to be consistently riveted by the controversy, adversity, vulnerability, anger, and yes even his exaggerated sense of humor too. The "I want to eat his children" comment right before the Lennox Lewis fight is just one of many priceless things this man says.
Tyson's life has taken a sad turn. The fight has gone out of him. His last fight in 2005 was held strictly so he could get some money to pay the bills. Just you feel like your watching the real Tyson now. He is much more sobered and at peace, a man whose demeanor reflects someone whose been thru hell and been humbled by it. He admits his mistakes, makes you question some of his others, but above all just makes you feel for him anyway. "Tyson" succeeds in showcasing the boxer as someone much more vulnerable than the guy you see in the ring or shouting out "faggot" during a weigh-in. There is more dimension here than I expected and that makes this one of the years biggest surprises thus far.
