Some of the best boxing action to be had in any film and an inside look at one of America’s toughest survivors
If you hate Mike Tyson before seeing this film you probably will hate him afterwards. He will still be the guy convicted of raping Desiree Washington in 1992 who never had a good word for anyone and he will still be the guy who bit off a part of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their 1997 rematch, an act for which he was not only disqualified but recorded forever in the annals of boxing ignominy. In his defense, the match wasn’t going his way when he bit off the ear. What’s a fighter to do?
One thing is for sure, when you leave the theatre after seeing this film you will never see Tyson the same way again. He will still be a vicious bully but he will be a vicious bully with a life and with a story. He is the way he is and the best anyone can do is attempt to understand some fraction of what he has gone through.
If that is not enough to make you want to see this film, ask yourself why an accomplished and prestigious film maker such as James Toback would direct a film that is virtually 100% Tyson. Nominated for the Best Screenplay Oscar and Golden Globe awards in 1991 for the fantastic gangster story “Bugsy,” Toback took a big chance with this film. So far the results look good with a Cannes award in 2008 and a national release soon to come in April 2009. If nothing else, Toback deserves a medal just for having the guts to be identified with the ex-boxer.
On the surface, the movie has great boxing action. As a Junior Olympics boxer Tyson set the record for the fastest KO on record; an 8 second doozy. His first championship came at 20 years old, the youngest age ever, when he took the WBC world heavyweight title. Iron Mike went on to take his first 19 professional bouts by knockout and 12 off those were first round KOs. The fact is that Tyson didn’t score a lot of fast knockouts just because he was good; he felt he had to score them because he was never able to breathe well. Yes, he apparently has some sort of breathing problem. The first of several surprises Mike has to offer. He had to fight hard in the beginning because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to breathe later on in the match. That’s motivation.
Some viewers might be surprised at how he left the game of boxing. He simply announced after a fight that he would never fight again because he didn’t deserve to be in the ring. Other viewers might be surprised to know he has a wife and children and leads a fairly normal life. Considering what he has gone through, a normal life is actually somewhat of a miracle. He was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn New York---one of the toughest neighborhoods in America. He moved to even lower class Brownsville next door at about 10 years old because his mother couldn’t even afford to live in Bed-Sty. He was robbed daily.
His first fight came at about 12 years old when an older boy tore off the head of one of Tyson’s pet pigeons and threw it at his feet. Tyson retaliated and never lost another fight for years to come. When he went to reform school at age 16 all his friends from the neighborhood were there. He had wondered where they all went. It was like a grade school reunion, teenagers from the ‘hood getting familiar with prison. At least they had food. Mike didn’t fight because he appreciated the finer points of the sport; he fought because he was humiliated and bullied and driven mad with anger. When he realized he no longer had that anger he stopped fighting. What better reason could there be?
For the fight nuts this film has some great shots of the iconic names of the fight game such as Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, the man who turned Tyson into a champion and claimed that before Tyson he had nothing to live for. Yes, the film also includes promoter Don King, who is described by Iron Mike as “reptilian.” But beyond the whacked out craziness of Mike’s day-to-day life, this story has something strangely haunting about it. You may still hate Tyson after seeing it, but you will have to work harder doing it.
Directed and Written by: James Toback
Featuring Mike Tyson
Release: April 24, 2009
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