Tyson - The Movie (2009) - 75%
A fascinating, unflinchingly honest documentary film about the legendary boxer Mike Tyson. Over an 80-minute monologue, interspersed with archive footage, we find out more than you might expect straight from the tiger’s mouth.
From his Brooklyn childhood, to meeting his mentor and father figure Constantine D’Amato while only a young teen, to unifying the world heavyweights titles, and then on the slide down through being imprisoned for rape, biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a bout, losing his form and his fitness and his heart for fighting, no stone is left unturned in this moving film from accomplished director James Toback.
Tyson comes across as a very conflicting character; on the one hand an eloquent gentleman - something drilled into him by Cus (D’Amato) before he would let him fight, and which is common across boxing; and on the other a complete animal. While you watch, it’s hard not to think that he must have some form of mental illness. All the symptoms are there, from the delusions of grandeur to the ferocious temper. But all the while Tyson shows us a self-knowledge not always apparent in his media image. I personally only have vague memories of him, and had only really known him at his best through secondary sources. The Tyson I remember was the Tyson who bit Holyfield’s ear and was a bit of a thug. The real Tyson, and the reason he’ll be remembered for some time to come, is the one who would churn his way through fights, knocking people out in the first round fairly consistently and making a mockery of the competition. He was a real winner, and to imagine him hitting the canvas was ludicrous. What soon followed however was a jail sentence - about which Tyson is characteristically honest - and a fall from grace. He lost money, friends, wives, he even got into a fight with manager Don King (about whom Tyson is less than complimentary in the film).
If you have a passing awareness of Mike Tyson, or if you have followed his career for decades, then this is a fantastic choice of film and you won’t be disappointed. It’s essentially a long interview filmed over various days and locations, but don’t let that put you off. There’s enough archive footage and genuine insight to make this a very satisfying watch.
75%
