Let me start by saying that I am not a huge fan of boxing and I certainly don't follow the sport with any real interest, however I was of course aware of Mike Tyson and his reputation as a boxer. I didn't experience Tyson in his prime as it was before my time and I was intrigued to discover more of his career and life. There is something that I find very enjoyable about self- narrated documentaries; I find them more personal, emotional and raw than documentaries told by third parties. This movie is told by Tyson himself, speaking directly into a camera with archive footage and photos used to complement this.Tyson focuses mainly on his boxing career as you would expect, paying a lot of attention to his early days, being raised through a boxing academy and pays plenty of respect to his coach/mentor of that time. I found this part of his story the most intriguing as it was something that I had no idea of. Watching him retell this story from his past was very emotional and he really struggled to speak about certain aspects, I really saw a different side to Mike Tyson during this. Speaking of those days he came across vulnerable yet very passionate and humble.Hearing Tyson talk us through his big fights while the footage was being shown on screen was very nice to see. I didn't recall many of these fights so I probably got a different experience than many other people would have done. Tyson delved into his private life more than I was expecting him to and was very honest about life events which was refreshing to see. He opens up about some of his public outbursts, discussing the reasons and his emotions behind them. He doesn't appear to hold back on being raw and honest about most aspects of his life, although I could be wrong here as I have little knowledge of him (barring things that were covered in this documentary).I went into this movie knowing very little about Mike Tyson's career and even less about his private life, and I very much enjoyed watching it. It isn't just for boxing fans, it is a decent enough made documentary which is clearly segmented, making it easy to understand. Some of the editing is a little amateur and the copy I watched didn't have subtitles available which made it hard to follow the dialogue on some occasions.8/10

This documentary blew me away, before this I only knew of Mike Tyson the once great boxer who people spoke ill of and referred to as animal, anyone who thinks Mike Tyson is nothing more than an animal needs to see this film, you will only come to find that Tyson was an animal in the ring which is greatly shown in the movie as it details his power, speed, strength and the intense training it took for him to become one of the worlds greatest ever fighters, but it also shows what happened when he stepped out of the ring, his story needs to be heard and the way it has been portrayed in this film is amazing from a modern view not your typical HBO Documentary, if you want to see some brutal but effective fighting narrated by the man himself and also see Tyson like you have never seen him before, watch this movie.

Director James Toback's insightful documentary "Tyson" does not pull back any punches on the controversial & eventful life of former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson. The uppercut of this doc is that it investigates its subject matter solely featuring none other than Tyson himself. No one else besides Mike Tyson is featured in documentary disclosures throughout the flick. Tyson is not chicken to disclose his feelings on his contentious life including his: impoverished childhood, boxing mentor, rise to the top, rape conviction, prison experience, Buster downfall, "eary" cannibal craving, drug addiction, and a few more Tysonisms. Toback does not orchestrate the film as a 90-minute Tyson confession to glamorize Mike, but rather as an authentic perspective on a man whose self-centered behaviors knocked him down physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Mike Tyson bio footage revealed throughout the documentary accentuates Mike's revelations of his life. The film does not present Tyson in an altered state but in more of a self-realization state. Nevertheless, "Tyson" make you root for Mike Tyson to win the game of life, even through all its technicalities. Lesson of it all: "don't be like Mike" and Iron Mike is the first one to say it in this doc! My unanimous decision is that the documentary "Tyson" does deserve its viewing rounds. And that is no raging bulls*it! **** Good

A fascinating insight into the mind of The Baddest Man on The Planet.From his invincible crush of Trevor Berbick on November 22nd 1986 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship to the sad submission of a broken man against lowly Kevin McBride on June 11th 2005, every major fight is covered from Tyson's career.The real insight of the film comes from the insights into Tyson's personal problems. The broken neighborhood, the bullies, the petty crime, the jail time, the money, the missing $300 million, the rape, the "swines", the drugs, the fornications, the failed marriages, the loss of identity, the death of his trainer and Father figure Cus D'Amato. Everything you ever thought you would never see Tyson speak so heartwarming and honestly about is laid bare here, as James Toback successfully opens up an enigma that was previously unwilling to be unopened.Viewing Tyson upset in the film is beyond poignant, a man who has represented himself as an animal since the mid 1980s and struggled to discard that image ever since, a man who by his own admission never saved any money because he didn't think he would live to spend it. This is a man who ends the documentary with some closure, some honesty about who he was then and who he is now. A family man, a man who wants Grandkids, a man who accepts he no longer has the heart or passion to fight, a man who seems content with just living life like anybody else.The sad fact is that since the release of this documentary in 2008 the family he speaks so openly and lovingly about at the end of the film has tragically been cut short through the death of Tyson's 4-year-old Daughter Exodus. As a viewer, you can only hope Tyson can channel his loss and his probable anger without turning back to his demons......