Tyson

As of this writing, James Toback's "Tyson" is the first documentary being reviewed on the blog. This film was made in 2008 and released earlier this year and stars Mike Tyson (who had a great part in "The Hangover" over the summer...in case anyone was wondering)...which may or may not be a huge surprise for you based on the title of the film.

This documentary covers his life up until 2008. He begins talking about his tough childhood, his introduction to boxing, and the effect that the death of Cus D'Amato, his first manager, had on him. As the film progresses he talks about his horrendous year-long marriage to the wonderful woman who verbally tore Tyson apart on national television on Barbara Walters' show, Robin Givens. His struggle with drugs, his many women, his three years in jail, his second, slightly more successful but still failed marriage, and the the fun time he bit Evander Holyfield's ear...it's all here.

Mike Tyson is completely honest and straightforward with his recollection of the past few decades. He holds nothing back in what feels like candid interviews. Even the several bad decisions he made throughout his life he is able to admit to whoever watches the film. Throughout the piece, Mike Tyson goes through several emotions as he remembers parts of his life that formed him into the man he is today. Through "Tyson" we get a sense of what the man was really like.

The interviews are mixed with various archival footage and photographs from past fights, training, TV appearances, etc. For the most part there is an effective flow between the archival footage and the new interviews. The still photographs and video clips with Tyson's words serve as helpful narration for the piece.

The only real problem that I had with "Tyson" was that at times Tyson would be shown talking in multiple sections of the frame (each section had him talking from a different angle). This made it a little bit distracting, since it led to him talking over himself and there was just too much going on in the frame. This is mainly at the beginning of the documentary where the focus was mainly the new interviews. Also, the beginning of the film could have had more video clips and photographs. At times the clips were so brief it seemed like they could have been omitted completely.

Overall, this was a successful documentary that is an honest look at the man, from the man himself. Most parts were well put together. 3 out of 4 stars...Recommended to any fan of Mike Tyson or documentaries in general.

-Joseph Sbrilli