Tyson Movie Review

Directed by James Toback

Starring Iron Mike Tyson

Limited theatrical release on 04/24/2009

The trailer looked awesome so I was pretty pumped to see the movie. I remember growing up around the whole Iron Mike hoopla. I didnt have cable so I never saw the early fights but that didnt matter. Mike was bigger than life. He was the unstoppable destroyer. He was the final boss in an awesome video game! Then came Buster Douglas, the Holyfield fiasco, the rape, and then the strange tattoo. No matter what happens to the man he still is an interesting enigma to me. James Toback did a great job letting Mike tell his side of a fascinating life story.
What surprised me and what really worked is the format of the documentary. Probably about 80% of the documentary is just Mike sitting on a couch discussing his life. There are cuts interspersed of old fight footage, news reports and other interviews. There is also an interesting technique he uses where he overlays Mike's voice which makes it seem more chaotic and important, that really works.
I really dug it and was just waiting for the next subject for him to talk about. I believe Mike was extremely candid and truthful. Im still not sure if I buy his take on the whole rape thing but he at least gave a good background of what was going on. He basically starts from early childhood up until present day. He definitely comes across as more intelligent and thoughtful than I originally thought, or the way he's generally perceived by the public. But on the other hand as he admits he's definitely a person who lives his life on instincts or emotions and doesnt always think things through.
My favorite part is when he reflects back on his trainer Cus D'amoto, who took him in at a young age and taught him the art of boxing. Several times when he talked about him, Tyson was choked up and trying to hold back the tears.
The only negative point I had with the movie was the segment where he talks about Don King. He very briefly talked about him and I was hoping he would talk more trash about him. Other than that I really enjoyed the film. Im not sure if it would appeal to any non Tyson fan but its still a fascinating character life story about a broken down ex world champion/convicted rapist. Highly recommended. The movie was edited perfect, but hopefully the dvd will have deleted or extended scenes. When it was over I still wanted more information. On a scale of 1-10 I give this a chewed off ear, 8.1 out of 10.
Trailer