Toback's approach to Tyson pulls no punches. It is extraordinarily revealing.
Comment
10/19/09
Tyson (2009)
86
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:123
Fresh:106
Rotten:17
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: A fascinating, emotional, and frank confessional from Iron Mike that sheds a sympathetic light on one of boxing's most controversial icons.
Theatrical Release:Apr 24, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $825,450
Synopsis: Love him or hate him, Mike Tyson is inarguably one of popular culture’s most fascinating figures. In this riveting documentary portrait of the controversial boxer, filmmaker and friend James Toback... [More]
Director: James Toback
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Reviews for Tyson
Utterly absorbing and fascinating, Tyson captivates viewers for its 90 minutes.
08/30/09
Until I saw Tyson, I wouldn't have believed it possible to film a one-sided documentary that felt truthful and complete."
08/29/09
Tyson is indeed an intriguingly contradictory hulk, but he's far from the troubling Caliban Toback's own obsessions with athleticism and negritude make him out to be
08/25/09
Tyson's dissection of his own struggles makes the film hard to turn away from. In that respect, Tyson is a lot like a train wreck. In fact, Tyson's life is like a train wreck in a lot of ways.
08/21/09
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08/19/09
Just relentless lisping monotonous speech that makes the prospect of entering the ring with Mike seem attractive if only because it will be over sooner.
08/09/09
In the end this is an unflinching portrait of a man, honest and beguiling. It puts Tyson's sins into context, but never excuses him. In a way, it's also a very American story about success from nothing and the double-edged sword of money and fame.
08/07/09
There is something compelling about the way he presents his version of the stories and scandals that surround him.
08/07/09
In these interviews, there's a strange poetry to the way he talks about his life. I actually found it really moving.
08/05/09
He’s amazingly frank about some of the people he doesn’t like, and he breaks down when he talks about his friends and the people he loved. A surprisingly fine documentary.
08/05/09
Tyson is presented via multiple split screen, with relentlessly frank and rhythmic sentences overlapping one another. The effect is mesmerising.
08/05/09
Brutally honest, Tyson offers one perspective on the life of the boxer – his own. This intimate look is enough to carry the film through its fascinating portrait of the fallen hero.
08/04/09
This doco goes a little way to portraying Tyson as more human than animal. Iron Mike even sheds a few tears.
08/02/09
...if Tyson never manages to charm us, there are other times when he comes off as touchingly naive. He's uncommonly empathetic to those who might think him a monster. It seems he often sometimes thinks of himself the same way.
07/24/09
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07/16/09
Top CriticLike the heavyweight prize-fighter in his prime, this is documentary stripped back to its leanest form.
07/04/09
It all adds up to a fascinating psychological study, a film that goes beyond both the public persona and the fighter's own spin to get at the frightened, angry, explosive, yet utterly understandable boy who became a very troubled and very public man.
06/24/09
A one-sided account of Mike Tyson's compelling rise and fall, told by the man who lived the tale.
06/15/09
The most remarkable revelation of the movie is its subject's thoughtful, reflective eloquence and unflinching self-perception...Tyson may or may not be entirely who he says he is, but he's probably not who we thought he was, either.
06/13/09
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