December 15, 2010

"TYSON"

"I'm a good person, but at that moment I was insane"
- Mike Tyson
Picture this:  82 minutes of Tyson's talking head, with some archival footage and photographs.

Boring, right?  According to commissioners, an audience is not going to watch a documentary where nothing happens.  But more a monologue than a documentary, this insight into boxing legend Mike Tyson moved me in ways I didn't expect.

How can a man famous for boxing, rape, and biting (off?) people's ears possibly say he's a good person?  As Tyson recounts events from his crazy life he reflects upon his character with a nakedness that is instantly disarming.  He has no problem analysing himself, and speaks about his early days as a fat, bullied child, the fear of humiliation this instilled in him, and how this fear became the fuel for his ferocious fighting spirit.  His meteoric rise to glory, his steady descent, his messy divorce, his rape conviction, his managers stealing his money, and the Hollyfield fight where he bit the man's ear  (twice) are all candidly addressed.

If I was a jury and this film was Tyson pleading his case, I'd be pretty tempted to let him walk free.  The man makes quite a convincing argument for everything that he's done.  And Hollyfield had it coming, right?  Definitely worth watching.

8/10
Watch it here

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