Tyson
Tyson: 8/10
Another documentary but this time it was on one of the most iconic men in boxing. The entire thing was from his own words as he went through his early childhood to his current stand and it just let's the troubled man give a compelling confessional about his life. I have to start by saying the multiple split screen was a very nice usage of filming as it gave many different views which you can coincidentally relate to the same of Mike Tyson's life.
There are those who see the former heavy weight champion who was a ruthless beast with aggressiveness and tenure of a wild animal that lead to his downfall. There are those who see a troubled individual who grew up with many problems that effected him mentally and he could never escape his demons. This documentary allows you the best chance of finding out for yourself from Tyson himself.
It tells a different story; his own story. Not those of the media who paint him in many different lights and what you hear/read from other sources but with this Mike Tyson figuratively sits down for an hour and twenty six minutes and just speaks to you. You see all sides of him from his steel-like demeanor to a torn down version where you'd never think such a tough man could break down.
If you watch boxing or have followed boxing this documentary just engrosses you as this complex man is broken down and exposes every bit of himself to you. His triumphs, his fears, his ambitions, his rise, his downfall, and his eventual current life are all shown in it and gives you all there is to know about the man that can be provided in front of you.
You see Tyson as a man who's fallen from glory and some characterize him to the point of an evil person. However, with this documentary you get to see the REAL Tyson and realize that he has never lost his humanity--only been troubled by it. Like all of us he has made errors in his life that he admits great regret towards.
You are even able to sympathize with the man as you hear his counts of having a harsh childhood, dealing with a famous career, spending time in jail, and the mistakes he made throughout his life. What is he? An animal? A troubled soul? Not even he himself knows the answer to this but trying to figure yourself out is the hardest qualm in life that we always continue to battle till the very end and he is no different.
In this documentary Mike Tyson is so soft spoken and calm you see a completely different person from his past. He's grown up and matured quite a lot from his younger days. He's a complex man with many varying degrees to his character that have been etched onto him with the journey of his life. The documentary is objective, thoughtful, intriguing, and most of all--reflective. A man of such stature who's been through all facets of life and has experience so much can teach us a thing about ourselves.
It teaches us about being smart in the decisions we make and doing the righteous things by working hard and never giving up. By not letting certain things (love, money, fame, etc;) get a control of our identity and being True to ourselves by finding meaning in something that is close to our hearts. Only then are we able to live our lives the best as we face both the good and bad and look towards the future.
You can't contest the fact that Mike Tyson was one of boxing legendary fighters and rose to great success. Being the Heavy Weight World champion he had all the glory and the world within his palms. But with his glory also came tragedy as his mind, heart, and soul always had to deal with troubling issues throughout. He fought many battles and hardships not only inside the ring, not only in the outside world, but he continuously to this day fights with himself in an infinite struggle with countless rounds and no knockouts. You want to know the real Mike Tyson? Watch this documentary.
