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| DVD Review: Tyson |
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| Written by Trent Daniel |
| Monday, 07 June 2010 11:49 |
 It is clearly easy to hate Mike Tyson. He is certainly a polarizing figure, one that draws extreme disdain, defensiveness or sympathy. The triumph of Tyson, James Tobackís admittedly biased, but powerful and surprisingly moving biography, is that it truly seems to show the real Mike Tyson. Tyson himself narrates the documentary. Not only is he persuasive, but seems brutally honest with his feelings, not only towards key figures in his life (both good and bad), but towards himself. To his credit, he doesnít seem to be asking the audience to sympathize for him, but to just understand him, Tyson starts by recanting his rather horrific childhood. With no father around and a mother who paid him little attention, he was on his own at a young age in the ìmean streetsî of Brooklyn. He was often harassed and bullied as a child, with the breaking point occurring when one of his pet pigeons was killed in front of him by a bully. Pandoraís Box was opened by that bully however, as he ended up being one of the first to fall victim to a Tyson beating. Much of Tysonís fury that followed, both in and out of the ring, stemmed from the rage he felt as a child, his passionate resolve never to be humiliated again and a sort of revenge for the pet he lost. The film then moves through Tysonís extraordinary boxing career, both the highs and lows. It couples Tysonís narration with dramatic fight footage of Tyson (in his prime, he fought with such frightening strength and fury that it is almost a wonder he didnít actually kill somebody). He is also informative and reflective about the key people and moments that shaped both his career and life: Cus DíAmato: The crusty old trainer took the raw, tough kid out of juvenile detention and somehow knew there was a boxing champion inside this kid. Tyson clearly loved the old man and saw him as the father he never had. One of the great tragedies in Tysonís life was that DíAmato died when Tyson was still young, a year before Tyson became world champion. Don King: A villain. By numerous accounts, Tyson is correct when referring to King as ìreptilian.î King saw a vulnerable cash cow and took full advantage of it. Women: perhaps the most notable and controversial aspect of the doc. Tyson is still bitter and resentful toward his ex-wife Robin Givens (who infamously called him abusive and manic-depressive in a Barbara Walters interview with Tyson sitting next to her) and, in particular, Desiree Washington (his accuser in a rape case which led to his 3 year prison term). Still, Tyson admits his mistreatment of women. His defense seems that he never knew how to treat them. He desired them, but never learned how to show them the proper love and respect. He seems resigned to the fact that he will never have a successful long-term relationship with a woman (however, the mother of his children, while she no longer lives with him, seemed to have some understanding and love of him at its foundation). The collapse: Tyson is frank about discussing his shocking loss to Buster Douglass (he simply did not take Douglass seriously) and the infamous ear-biting saga with Evander Holyfield (he became enraged at Holyfieldís head-butting, which continued without a warning from the referee). As is the case throughout the documentary, Tyson does not ask for forgiveness, but some semblance of understanding for his actions. This film is more than a documentary about one of the key sports figures of the latter 20th century. Perhaps more important, it is a chance for a man who was a ìvillainî in the eyes of many people to explain himself. While one should not condone many of his actions, the film does succeed in making me more understanding of the man and how he came to be ìMike Tysonî (good and bad). It also, rather tragically, shows how the child is indeed the ìfatherî of the man. |
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