Tyson (2008)

A mixture of original interviews, 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	...	Self (archive footage)
Mike Tyson	...	Self
Trevor Berbick	...	Self (archive footage)
Cus D'Amato	...	Self (archive footage)
William Cayton	...	Self (archive footage)
Jim Jacobs	...	Self (archive footage)
Joe Louis	...	Self (archive footage)
Max Schmeling	...	Self (archive footage)
Jack Dempsey	...	Self (archive footage)
Gene Tunney	...	Self (archive footage)
Rocky Marciano	...	Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Self (archive footage)
Carl Williams	...	Self (archive footage)
Larry Holmes	...	Self (archive footage)
Tyrell Biggs	...	Self (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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

The man. The legend. The truth.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Toback, who had known Mike Tyson since Tyson was 19, financed the film with his own funds and shot thirty hours of footage in the process.

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Quotes

Mike Tyson: One day he
[Cus]
Mike Tyson: said "listen you have the chance to change your life, your family's life, you can be very special. Don't you want to be champion? You can be champion of the world". I didn't pay no attention. He said really, "You could be champion of the world. You could devestate the world. No man can take what you did, you got to believe it". I looked at this guy and then I started thinking, I said, this guy is really crazy, that's what I said, this guy is really crazy. "You do what I tell you ...

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Connections

Features A Rage in Harlem (1991)

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Soundtracks

Legendary
Written by NaS
Performed by NaS

User Reviews

A View on Mike Tyson's Life From Tyson's Eyes

An excellent narrative on Mike Tyson's life from his point of view. The narrative is all done by Mike himself. Watching this movie you feel like you're sitting in front of Mike Tyson asking him to tell you his life story.

The movie itself I believe is not scripted since it's Mike Tyson himself telling us and the way he spoke seems genuine and full of holes in logic. In short it seemed honest enough.

Seeing this documentary, you gain a good amount of perspective about Tyson's personality, his life, how he think, his problems, and the people around him. The best part for me was when he explained why he bite Holyfield's ears.

Definitely one to watch for his fans. If you're not a Tyson or boxing fan, you might get a little bored.

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

Gross USA:

$887,918

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$964,920

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fyodor Productions, Defiance Entertainment, Green Room Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color