A mentor once shared with me his strategy for winning a fight.  ”Hit first–hit first and hit hard.  Hit with everything you got.”  He’d grown up running in gangs on the gritty streets of Hong Kong and you’d trust his words just seeing his eyes that seemed to burn brighter with every pound of his fist on open palm.  Last Thursday I had the pleasure of viewing James Toback’s documentary on one of the most controversial figures of our time.  I have not been so intensely moved by a film for awhile.  From the moment the lights dimmed, Tyson caught me under the chin and left me floored until the credits.

It’s said that every great fighter has one last great fight before he fades into the sunset.  You’d think Mike Tyson had his in the ring.  But I don’t think so.  I think Tyson’s final moment of glory are realized in this film.

The film opens with Tyson’s first heavyweight championship fight where he crushes Trevor Berbick in two rounds at the tender age of 20.  Even if you watched the fight on TV or in the arena you’ll still be unprepared for the raw footage that makes you feel like you’re actually in the ring experiencing the bite of each vicious punch, high on the energy of the epic bout.  Even the dramatized fighting of the Rocky series seems to pale in comparison with the opening moments of Tyson.  I’ll confess I near fell out of my seat and within the first minutes of the documentary I understood why the world was once captivated by the Kid they called Dynamite.

Tyson was no mere “behind the scenes” or “closer look” at the man-the myth-the legend.  You truly get the sense that for the first time in your life you’re meeting Mike Tyson as he is, unabridged and unfiltered.  James Toback does an ingenious job of even expressing the paradox that is Tyson’s mind through the various audio overlays and camera techniques as the fighter narrates throughout the film.

As Tyson progresses you begin to understand the greatness of Cus D’Amato and the tumultuous path of Mike’s life.  Moment by moment, Tyson chronicles his story in a way that makes you cringe, marvel, shake your head, or nearly weep.  I don’t want to say he’s “misunderstood” like so many other athletes and celebrities.  After watching Tyson, I get the sense few ever knew what was really going on.  What’s special about Tyson is that Toback is clearly not subversively aiming to win you over to Mike’s side, unabashedly displaying all the contradictions and flaws that exist in the champ’s life.  I expected to hear the story of another deluded superstar who lives in the illusion of his own grandeur.

But what I found was the simple story of an uncomplicated man.  The mention of Tyson’s name immediately evokes awe, hate, ridicule, and confusion–sometimes all at the same time.  But if there were two things I learned about Tyson from the film, the first was that he is incredibly sharp and intelligent in ways most people overlook, probably because of a speech impediment which will forever be the object of jokes and contempt.  His memory is impeccable and he is a true student of the fight.  His emotional outbursts bely the focus and unique perspective with which he dissects life.

The second is that he’s intensely honest, perhaps even to a fault.  He speaks with the innocence and clarity of a child that doesn’t know any better but to tell the truth.  Maybe the media wanted a monster, and so that’s what they tried to draw out.  But the man I met in Tyson wasn’t a monster–he was still a young man who didn’t have the support and guidance most of us take for granted, simply struggling for the same things we all yearn for: glory, happiness, confidence, purpose, security, and even love.  His infamous interviews and comments no longer seem like insanity to me.  Instead they seem like the uncontrolled fits of a youth trying to assert himself.

Tyson is not without fault.  That much even he confesses throughout the film.  But he’s not the idiot or villain that some make him out to be.  By the end of the film I was in awe of perhaps one of the greatest fighters of all time.  And at the same moment I found my heart going out to a man who is still fighting all challenges life relentlessly throws at him.

The middle of the film may be tedious for viewers who are not avid boxing or Tyson fans, but the pace is buoyed by fierce fight footage the fascinating perspective of a champion who truly came from the bottom.  If you are a boxing or Tyson fan, James Toback’s Tyson is a must-see.  But even if you’re not, the documentary is compelling and enjoyable.  It’s ok if you don’t know anything about the fighter or the sport; Toback and Mike walk you through each stage of his life in a way that’s understandable and interesting.  My only qualm with Tyson is that we don’t hear anything about trainer Kevin Rooney at all in the film.  My father says that he is directly responsible for making Tyson the killing machine that united the boxing world and took three heavyweight championship belts.  His story is absent from the documentary.

Don’t miss Tyson.  A truly masterful and comprehensive account of the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”

“I come out – I have supreme confidence but I’m scared to death.”

He’s awesome.  He’s vulnerable.  He’s proud.  He’s ashamed.  He’s vulgar.  He’s eloquent.  He’s honorable.  He’s conflicted.

He’s Mike Tyson.  And his is a name the world will never forget.

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Official Website:

http://www.tyson-film.com

Past articles:

The Face of a Killer