Tyson Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: April 29th, 2009

In the 1980s, “Iron Mike” Tyson was the most dominant fighter in the sport of boxing.  From the start of his professional career, he won 37 matches in a row to unify the heavyweight division and become the undisputed champion of the world.  But a series of wild antics inside and outside the ring earned him the nickname “the baddest man on the planet,” part of a downward spiral with women, money, prison, and drugs.

The candid documentary Tyson chronicles the arc in its entirety, leaving no pivotal subject untouched in an open, honest, and brutal interview with only the man himself.  The tightly edited account of his life splices archival footage between rounds of detailed answers from Tyson in a must-see film for boxing fans and a compelling story for the uninitiated.

His physical presence is still intimidating, even as Tyson lounges on plush couches in a millionaire’s mansion and occasionally fights back tears, the arms of a trained animal hidden beneath a fancy button-up shirt.  Razor sharp tattoos crawl around his left eye, scarred from years of pummeling by the strongest fighters in the world.  Retired from boxing in 2005, Tyson’s face is still swollen in all the right places, like he just went ten rounds with the champ.  Director James Toback is clearly present in the room, but it feels like Tyson is having a truthful conversation with the camera in his signature high-pitched voice.

Tyson recalls being bullied as a youth growing up in a rough New York neighborhood and admits to regularly robbing people on the streets, even calling the juvenile detention center a “class reunion.”  In a rare sign of weakness, Tyson chokes up talking about his first trainer, manager, and mentor Cus D’Amato, who rescued him from the streets and taught him everything about boxing.

He smiles fondly remembering the early years.  A student of the sport, Mike memorized the movements of legendary fighters and still acknowledges Muhammed Ali as the “greatest fighter who ever lived.”  As he recounts the shattered records on his way to becoming the heavyweight champion, Tyson seems focused and passionate only on the topic of winning.  “Most guys lost the fight before they even got hit,” he says, boasting his skills of intimidation.

A flurry of knockout videos follow, showing him punch his way to become one of the most famous athletes in the world.  Because of the first-person interview style, the documentary even leaves out career details that make his success story even more sensational.  A 91-second victory over Mike Spinks proved Tyson was dominant in the ring and is shown within, but the film neglects to mention that the previously unbeaten Spinks would never fight professionally again.

A smooth transition has Tyson discussing  the distractions that would eventually lead to his failures.  Reflections on his uncontrollable urges reveal a bitter side of Tyson, somehow more animal than his ring persona, as the embarrassing aspects put Tyson on defense of his pride.  When talking about women, Tyson uses words like prey, dominate, devour, and ravish, and describes his public relationship with Robin Givens as a pursuance.  His historic first loss and sliding professional career coincided with a pending divorce, allegations of spousal abuse, and rocky relationships.  Desiree Washington, who he was convicted of raping and served three years in prison as a result, is a “wretched swine of a woman” as Mike sticks to his story of false accusation.  The “slimy, reptilian” promoter Don King only represents greed to Tyson, who eventually became consumed by money himself.

Even Tyson’s mental struggle is laid out bare and in detail.  Tyson admits to becoming temporarily, “totally insane” during the infamous second match with Holyfield, which will forever be remembered as the fight where he bit off a chunk of Evander’s ear.  But the description is what you might expect: zero remorse and a combo of excuses, unable to drop his guard even after all these years.

Tyson ultimately ends on a somber note, a brilliant portrait of a man broken by his own fame and toppled at the peak of his career by corrupting influences on his extraordinary life.

4 out of 5.