By Ray Bennett
CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - When he's not pounding very
large men to the ground, ex-fighter Mike Tyson speaks directly
to the camera in James Toback's film "Tyson," and it's hard not
to flinch. More a testimony for the defense than a documentary,
it's a sympathetic portrait of a complex man driven by an anger
that still bubbles beneath the surface.
The former world champion's eyes, which were as devastating
as his piston-fast fists in the boxing ring, reveal little, but
his self-serving words tell everything. His candor appears
sometimes unwitting, but the result is a powerful film that
will appeal to sports fans and those who respond to the
visceral clamor of the fight world.
Using split screens, overdubs and a mixture of interior
closeups and exterior long shots, Toback allows the boxer to
portray himself as a gentle soul born on mean streets where
constant bullying forced him to employ his brute strength to
survive. A broken home, crime, correction facilities and
finally the boxing ring -- it's a familiar tale.
Not so familiar were the fighter's extraordinary
dedication, steeped in the lessons of the great champions, and
his unflinching impulse to drive toward and destroy his
opponent. Toback shows nearly all of Tyson's knockouts and
tracks his rise to the big titles, big money and world fame,
and then the falls from grace, including failed marriages, a
spell in prison on a rape conviction and ultimately the loss of
his titles and most of his money.
In every circumstance in his life, Tyson believes himself
to be the innocent party. He became a ferocious fighter to
avoid being humiliated. His marriage broke down because they
were both kids. His rape charge was "false" and the victim was
"a wretched swine of a woman." A big-time boxing promoter was
"a slimy reptilian mother----er." He bit opponent Evander
Holyfield's ear off because the man kept head-butting him and
made him insane in the ring.
But Tyson says he made sure his six kids got some of all
that money; he found Islam in prison; and he's been through
rehabilitation. Now, he says, his anger is directed only toward
himself. "I'm not an animal anymore," he says in his
high-pitched lisp staring at the camera through a dramatic
Maori facial tattoo.
For some reason, Toback never mentions Tyson's voice, not
that you can blame him.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
