Tyson (2008)

Okay, I'll admit it...I watched this film because, well, everybody likes a train wreck, right? Fans of Hollywood seem to need their dish on the latest crazy antics of Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton, news reporters/networks get viewers to tune in with stories of murder and crime, and political junkies are always suckers for a good sex scandal. In the sports world, that same sentiment can be summed up in one man: Mike Tyson.Despite being one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time and becoming the youngest fighter ever to win the heavyweight title, Tyson could not ever rid himself of the demons that lay buried inside his soul. Whether it was pairing up with Don King, going to prison for rape, making publicly lewd comments/gestures, or dismembering his body, Tyson has had one of the biggest falls from grace of any professional athlete in history. Thus, I expected this film to discuss those issues and try to make sense of those hidden Tyson demons.While that discussion did happen, it was much too one-sided...the entire movie is pretty much just an extended interview with The Baddest Man on the Planet himself. That may not seem like too bad of a format, sort of like letting Tyson "clear the air" of all his past mistakes, but those of us who know anything about Iron Mike know that he doesn't make one bit of sense at any time. Though better, in his advanced age, at completing an understandable sentence (something that eluded him completely during his prime fighting years), he still is a walking, talking, contradiction in terms. He'll making a profound thought in one sentence, then completely contradict himself in the next. Or, on one occasion, he talks about how much he values the women in his life...but then quickly discusses how much he enjoys dominating them sexually.Thus, because of Tyson's confused mind, this documentary really doesn't shed any light on his past demons (or at least not enough to make them any more understandable). Topics such as his relationship with former mentor Cus D'Amato, his marriage to Robin Givens, his rape conviction, and his wild-man persona beginning after the Evander Holyfield ear-biting fiasco are discussed by Tyson, but no conclusions are ever reached or really interesting points made. I would have much rather seen other sources (friends, family, sports writers, psychologists, etc.) weigh in on Tyson, giving the film a more balanced perspective.Basically, there really are two different ways to rate this film: If you know nothing (or very little) about Mike Tyson, watching this movie will be an eye-opening experience. However, if (like myself) you already have an extensive background of Tyson's antics, there is very little in the documentary that will surprise you.Perhaps this film's biggest redeeming characteristic, though, is its ability to show Tyson during his rare moments of clear-headedness and normalcy. At one point, a home video is shown of Iron Mike shadow-boxing with his young daughter, which is incredibly poignant in conveying the notion that Tyson isn't always an anti-social maniac. He's just a man who confronts his inner demons head on...and loses almost every time.

I gave this 8/10 because it's a pretty simple, straightforward documentary and there isn't much "drama" in it i would say. With that being said, i personally don't care much about the drama when it comes to documentaries, and am more interested in the truth. The simple truth. And thankfully that is exactly what you get from the legendary Mike Tyson.Mike Tyson is so honest in this documentary that it is impossible, at least for me, to pass any judgment on him, or his life. One must be pretty sightless to not see that. He generously shares his innermost fears, desires, demons and what not, which is not an easy thing to do, and i believe every word he says.Mike Tyson is an animal shaped human. He accepts who he is. As a child going into adulthood he obviously was some sort of a beast out of a cage that trapped him for years, add to that the profession of boxing he was going into, now that's not a simple place to be for a teen giving his background of zero education. He's not trying to be the nicest, nor be loved by everyone. He's just trying to do the best he can and learn as much as he can. HE IS HONEST about who he is. And that's the whole point about my review. I can appreciate that honesty, maybe that's because i too have zero tolerance for BS.Mike Tyson is not perfect, he's just an honest human being dealing with life.

Tyson is a well-rounded insight into a very complicated man. It captures the excitement of Mike's 20 year career, stylishly and energetically showcasing many of Tyson's devastating fights while also sensitively exploring Mike's life before, during and after his career. The film charts both his successes and failures, including his dominance of 1985 - 1990, his disastrous marriage to Robin Givens, his rape charge (which he vehemently denies), and his controversial losses to Evander Holyfield.The majority of the film's 86 minutes comprises a series of interviews with Tyson. He speaks of how his rough childhood affected him, most notably his discovery that violence was the only form of defence for a scared young boy in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Tyson elaborates on his ghetto adolescence of theft and drugs before his placement in a borstal, where he was eventually taken under the wing of legendary trainer Cus D'Amato.Tyson had been conditioned by the poverty, drugs and general brutality of New York, this pugnacious young man wasn't going to allow anyone to tame him. This changed when he met D'Amato, he was the first person in his life who believed in him, the first person to inspire him and invest in his future. Mike is still brought to tears when speaking of his beloved mentor.After years of discipline and intense training, the genetically gifted Tyson had been moulded into an 218lb monster, a superb heavyweight contender at just 18 years of age. Sadly, Cus died before he won his first title in 1986.I can imagine some will criticise the film's depiction of its leading man. Indeed, the film portrays Mike sympathetically, his story is told from only his perspective. However, this bias is balanced, or perhaps even tipped in the opposite direction, by Tyson's remarkable honesty. Despite his past behaviour, Mike being the first to acknowledge it, there's part of you that can't help but pity him, he has led a life of confusion and anger, with interference from his numerous demons, one of which being Don King.It is his honesty that makes me, like many others, doubtful of his rape conviction in 1992. Considering how Tyson talks so freely and candidly about his chequered past of hedonism and violence, I doubt that he would repeatedly lie about Washington (who had several years prior allegedly made a false accusation of rape against fellow student Wayne Walker.) He has no interest in concealing his past or improving his reputation, he seems to only want to tell the truth, which I suppose could be a method of reputation management. In reference to the Washington case, the wise Frank Bruno once said: 'You don't go to someone's hotel room at 1am to play chess.' Tyson's narration is at times embarrassing, particularly when he talks about sex, detailing how he likes to 'dominate' his women as if they're prey (corroboration for Washington's defence, perhaps.) He also tells an anecdote of how he 'performed fellatio' on a woman, I'm sure he has since realised he meant 'cunnilingus'. This malapropism is largely an isolated incident however, as Mike is a lover of words with a far greater articulacy than many would think. Tyson brilliantly combines high-register English with African- American vernacular, on multiple occasions he describes things in the most emphatic of ways, such as his verdict on the infamous boxing promoter Don King - 'He's just a wretched, slimy, reptilian motherf*cker... he's ruthless, he's deplorable... he doesn't know how to love anybody.' No matter what one thinks of him, there is no denying that he has more sensitivity and intelligence than he is generally given credit for. This is why I advise anyone, particularly those who disregard Tyson, to watch this eye-opener, it won't necessarily change your opinion of the man, but I think you will appreciate his origins and admire his honesty.80%www.hawkensian.com

This is the kind of honest, truthful portrayal that gives a whole new light toward the way you see a certain person. I know that some people have a strong opinion on Tyson,but I always saw past that bullying thing of his persona and recognize much, much more. Now at the age of 43, Tyson shares his life story in this revealing documentary from director James Toback. With age comes wisdom, not only for Tyson, but for everybody. It's a fact that time brings everything to light, and we can see things better. I shed some tears because I felt Tyson's pain. I understood that although it is so easy to judge, it's also way harder to put yourself in someone else's shoes. This documentary made me respect him (Tyson) even more, because if we as human being are in fault, what's way more important than to make mistakes is the capacity of being humble, admit the mistakes and move toward better days. Mike Tyson ins an insightful, humble, simple man, who was plain and simple the world's greatest boxer and is now in his most important mission in life - to succeed as a human being and a father. His best days are still ahead of him,and he is a living example of what we can make of ourselves,once we have the knowledge and the wisdom to become better men,a wisdom that only comes when we had our share of wrong choices. Bravo, Iron Mike!