Though the prospect of getting to know the root cause of what exactly made Mike Tyson tick sounds promising, Tyson, a documentary from James Toback, doesn’t entirely satisfy. This can be attributed to the documentary’s tedious pacing and Toback’s emphasis on only using Mike Tyson to tell his own, biased story. As a autobiography, the film works to a certain degree. To see and hear Tyson breakdown and cry while talking about his celebrated boxing trainer and father figure Cus D’Amato is poignant and emotional. So is his surprising explanation of why he was such a successful and feared fighter (his speed was often overlooked, he says). Where the documentary fails is in its fawning admiration of the former heavyweight champion. To allow Tyson to talk endlessly about his life feels less like peering into his soul – despite Toback’s heavy use of close-ups – and more like a calculated PR stunt on the part of Tyson. This is especially true when Tyson talks about his treatment of women and his rape conviction. He sounds more like a jaded ex-con angry over getting caught, rather than remorseful over committing the crimes in the first place. The film is broken down into three logical acts: Tyson’s rise, his boxing career and legal problems, and his redemption. The only time there seems to be a jolt of energy is when Toback cuts to footage of Tyson’s training and of his fights. It is only here that we see Tyson in his element, very much aware of the media spotlight and his role as a celebrity. However, the majority of cutaway scenes are clichéd and generic: see Tyson walking along the beach at sunset; see Tyson on a balcony, pensively staring at the horizon. These moments are better suited for the Dateline’s murder mystery-of-the-week. They play better on television than on the big screen. Like some of Mike Tyson’s fights, the documentary is only successful in quick bursts; one or two rounds tops.
Richard Saad
© Cinephile Magazine, 2009