TYSON – Reviewed by Bruce

A film whose star persona looks like an exotic, feral animal; one who makes a living doing something you or I wouldn’t consider participating in in a million years, right? This must be a review for The Girlfriend Experience. After all, the star also seems to be much more than just the jaw-dropping surface and notorious on-camera behavior – an intellect and heart are also fully functional, and create a compelling aura around said star subject. But wait, from the looks of this star, we must be watching Once Were Warriors, that powerful film about modern-day Maoris in New Zealand – the facial tattoos are the give-away. No, wrong on all counts – this is one of the better documentaries of recent years: Tyson.

Director James Toback (Fingers, Two Girls and a Guy) has translated his love of the sweet science into an astoundingly kinetic and fast-moving portrait of one of the more cautionary tales in a sport rife with them. As a fan of boxing since the 70′s, I watched most of Tyson’s early fights, in the 80′s. He was, in many ways, the fight fan’s dream come true – a boxer who literally destroyed everyone he faced; he seemed to be in the ring with trembling children, most of whom were down for the count within a few minutes. However, this power did not come easily to Tyson.

Mike Tyson was the product of a broken home, and seems to have had zero guidance until he came under the wing of the great trainer, Cus D’Amato. D’Amato, in retrospect, proved to be the only rock Tyson ever had in his life – the fighter he created in Tyson was single-minded and tightly controlled. Unfortunately, D’Amato died in the late 80′s, and that event proved the beginning of the end for Tyson’s brilliant dominance.

All of this is powerfully limned in Tyson, with much, much talk from the boxer himself, who seems to be quite self-aware at this stage of his life. He is funny, scary, thoughtful, and extremely knowledgeable about the sport and its history. – [DVD]

Documentary

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 8/18/09