Mike Tyson is perhaps the most controversial sports figure of the last 100 years. When he was at his peak he was the greatest boxer of his generation, destroying the best of his generation with power unseen in the ring in years. His fall from grace, as well as his further descent down a self-made hell, made for such fodder that ESPN writer Bill Simmons dubbed it “The Tyson Zone.” Plenty of features have been made about the man, but none pack the power of Tyson because they don’t feature the man without his guard down. And we’re much wiser because of it.
Tyson is really a two man film. James Toback intersperses archival footage of Tyson as the man discusses his life and career with a candor second to none. Letting Tyson, lisp and all, talk about his life and everything that has led up to this point in his life makes for compelling viewing because Toback has managed to get the man on the record discussing things with an honesty that’s shocking.
The key thing to the documentary is that Toback uses footage to show history as its happening and parses it with Tyson’s perspective that only decades removed can provide. No stone is spared, from his early days as a fat kid who got picked on to his current situation. But while the film doesn’t go into a lot of depth, Tyson is markedly candid and poignant about points in his career. Talking about his early days in boxing with only the perspective a man who has lost it all can provide, Tyson is given an opportunity to talk and Toback mainly just stays out of his way. Tyson hasn’t been given a chance to “set the record straight,” per se, but is given the opportunity to discuss everything that happened in his life and gives his side of the story. His comments about his imprisonment on sexual assault charges and Don King make for inspired footage as well.
The archival footage gives it a nice touch that 90 minutes of Tyson and his face tattoo would make monotonous. Hearing Tyson talk about his ring presence and how he wanted to destroy guys when he walked into the ring in his prime is one thing, but to see him come out to “Welcome to the Terrordome” by Public Enemy with an intensity normally reserved for mothers trying to rescue infant children from burning cars gives it a poignancy that’s hard to contain. We see Tyson the 40-year-old family man, proud father, and his early days as the “Baddest Man on the Planet” and it’s like seeing two different people.
Tyson is a documentary that covers a controversial man in depth from his own perspective. It’s endlessly fascinating and worth searching for, one of the best documentaries of the decade.
Presented in a Dolby Digital surround with a widescreen presentation, the film has a top notch transfer. It doesn’t need it, as it’s 90 minutes of Mike Tyson talking with little scoring, but it does it much better then it has to.
A Day with James Toback follows Toback on the world premiere of the film. He discusses the film briefly as well as what he perceives to be Tyson’s motivations for making the film. It’s intriguing to see the “behind the scenes” stuffs that go on, as Toback discusses what he has to say and goes through the mentality
Iron Mike: Toback talks Tyson is Toback candidly discussing the film. Fronting the money himself, and convincing Tyson to hand over creative control in exchange for the opportunity to discuss his life, Toback views the film as more of a self-portrait then a documentary.
The Big Picture Show is a British show focusing on film in general and focuses on this film in particular.
Toback contributes a Commentary track.
The film’s Theatrical Trailer is included.
Forget the extras. Tyson is a must-see documentary about the life and times of one of the iconic figures of the last fifty years.
Sony Pictures Classics presents Tyson. Written and Directed by James Toback. Starring Mike Tyson. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: August 18, 2009. Available at Amazon.
