TYSON

Directed by: James Tobak
Starring: Mike Tyson
Review by Deke Richards

PLOT: An intimate look at ex heavy weight boxing
champ of the world Mike Tyson’s life as told by the man himself. His roots,
his ups and downs, his present state of mind, all is covered.

CRITIQUE: Before I begin breaking this flick down I must
put this out there: I was never a Mike Tyson fan despite his obvious abilities at
kicking some serious ass (my good friend Arrow tried to convert me – didn’t
work). But low and
behold all that changed upon viewing James Toback’s TYSON. It was a pleasure
sitting through this well-crafted and emotionally charged documentary (I in fact
teared up when he spoke of his trainer/father figure who passed on – didn’t
expect that to happen).

It all started off with a strong through clips of Tyson in one of his early
spectacular fights that felt like a scene straight out of “Rocky 4”. Quite
brutal and exciting I must say especially due to the fact that this was a real match!
From there on we join Tyson in the comfort of his home
overlooking LA from the hills (Who
says he’s broke again?) where he proceeded to deconstruct all of the pivotal points of his
life in an honest and often heartfelt fashion, starting with his roots in the
slums (that bit stood out for me since it was communicated by a slick split-screen format). And right there the film had me. Its engaging
visual style brought it home! Nope, this was not going to be a typical “Ho-Hum” or, “Aim and Shoot”
documentary.

What followed rolled out at swift pace without ever missing an emotional beat.
We were exposed to more of
Tyson’s early great fights while he commented on his downfall which he attributed to
women (Boy did he get my sympathy vote on
that one). Tyson had no problem in admitting to that
and I respected him for his candor as to the subject matter. The
documentary’s last
act sadly did not prod much on his jail time. Too bad because I wanted more meat
on that. But at least it focused on Tyson’s take on how people around
him and the media changed once he was released from prison, how the love he used
to have for boxing faded away and what his priorities are now (family). “The past is history,
my future is a mystery.” Touching quote from the man! It says it
all!

I can’t say I have too many issues with the film. I didn’t really
care for a technique the director used when he cut Tyson repeating some of his
words and speeches from various camera angles. I found that distracting. But
that was a small hiccup and I easily got over it. The only other thing I could pick at was that I wished the
documentary would have been longer, due to the fact that the subject matter was
quite enticing. I wanted more! Then again, that’s a compliment!

TYSON, as a film and a documentary worked on
every level; emotionally, visually, substance and pacing wise.
If documentaries are not your piece of cake or even TYSON, the man
himself, consider giving this one a shot, for it is a cut above the norm and
could even make you a Tyson fan. It did it for me! Damn the dude was a killer in the
ring! He was
the “BADDEST”! Check this one out and see why!

Rating: 9/10