Movie Critic - Tyson

It could be argued that Mike Tyson has been one of the most controversial athletes of the last 20 years, if not all time. James Toback explores the life of the troubled Heavyweight in the documentary Tyson. Shot using mostly footage of what appears to be a series of interviews with Mike Tyson, we explore the world of Mike, from his beginning to what he's been up to since leaving boxing in 2005.
In my review of the film Sugar I describe how rare it was for me to enjoy a sports movie, if only because my standards are so high. One of the aspects of sports cinema that has been drastically missing are compelling characters. As I mentioned earlier it just seems easier for directors and writers to fall back on old stereotypes of athletes, play Thunderstruck 18 times and use quick cuts to distract people rather than write interesting characters that people might actually care about. But I never mentioned how much I truly enjoy sports documentaries. With documentaries you get a whole new perspective. You don't have to worry about fabricating characters because they've already got a rich enough story to put to film, and because it's usually the actual humans in interviews you already have that connection that you might not get with actors. This is exactly what happens in Tyson. Instead of having some actor fall into a caricature of the Champ, you have the actual man telling you some of the more painful memories of his past. Whether it's bullies in the Bronx roughing him up for his lunch money, or talking about his hero and mentor Cus D'Amato - you can see real emotions in someone who you would have never imagined. One of the more compelling aspects of this documentary is Toback's shots of Tyson during the more emotional times, he never lets the camera stray too far away from his eyes, letting you see the pain that Tyson has.
Another great aspect of the documentary is the use of fight footage. Hearing him talk about these epic bouts while watching fights from my childhood was an indescribable sensation. It was like getting directors commentary on your earliest and fondest sports memories. I remember watching a taped version of the Michael Spinks fight, I vaguely remember being at a party and a shocked crowd as Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson. But I'm talking more the mid-90's fights, right when many people my age are just coming into their sports conscious. The two Holyfield fights and Lennox Lewis - we all know how those ended, but it's just a perspective of the fight you never imagined you would get.
I've read reviews that have argued that there's an agenda to this film. James Toback is a friend of Tyson's and it has been criticized for it's portrayal of such a controversial figure. The film shows Mike Tyson - alleged spousal abuser and convicted rapist, but also shows Mike Tyson - complex human being and proud father. Mike Tyson will never stop being a polarizing figure, but love him or hate him, after watching Tyson you will never look at him the same way again. Tyson is rated R for language including sexual references and gets a 4/5 Stars.