Faces

53. “Tyson”

If you enjoy boxing or were ever interested in the life of Mike Tyson, see this documentary. If you think Tyson did rape that woman and is an animal, don’t see this film. It won’t change your mind.

I did not love this film. I already read a book about Tyson in the last year and it covered pretty much everything in the first hour of the film. I wrote about it in this blog. It’s by Jose Torres. It was published in 1990 and has aged well.

I did not like the shooting style used. The director interviewed Tyson for a week straight. He had two cameras running throughout the process. To make things a bit more visually stimulating he sometimes employs three cameras at once to shoot a man talking. It’s overkill. I don’t need to see two angles of Tyson talking about his childhood while a third camera of B roll has him staring straight ahead. It makes the film seem like an interrogation, which may have been the point.

I kind of understand the acclaim the film has received. Tyson was one of the most compelling individuals from the 1980s. He was mysterious and misunderstood. He had what seemed a superhuman ability to box. He spiraled out of control slowly and dramatically. He may be the one individual with a face tattoo that you may feel some sympathy. Any film about Tyson was destined to be well received.