Everybody likes this film but me. So be it.
I can't find much to recommend this film.
I should point out that my review may be tainted by the viewing environment I saw it in. I was at a Windsor International Film Festival screening, where some Chatty Cathys (the real term is unfit for this site) had moved their seats to the left back corner, and talked and laughed loudly over the entire film. They basically added a new sound channel that wasn't supposed to be there, which certainly came as an unpleasant surprise to many of us. I would have walked out, but it was the only showing. So I missed about 10-15% of what was said on screen because they talked over it. Nevertheless, based on the other 85-90% I ultimately don't think I missed much.
That said, here it is: The whole film is just Tyson speaking. Maybe it's a documentary. Maybe it's propaganda. Maybe it's an art film. But it isn't entertaining. Here's a man who has had his brains punched into jelly. Now listen to him speak through an entire film. It's hard to do. Subtitles really would have helped understand the slurred and lisped words some times. But worse, you don't get any wider picture of Tyson than his own mind. This is Tyson on Tyson. But no man is just what he thinks he is himself. Why no words from anyone else? Even when he comments about others, they are given no chance to respond. So it boils down to this is the story Tyson wants to tell about his life. Maybe it's true. Maybe not. Maybe he doesn't know. But it's the usual tale. Nothing new here. No surprises. So why bother? I found the split-screen idea forced. Usually, you'd use that to compare and contrast different things. But here, it's only to distract the viewer from realizing how boring it all is.
I've seen all the Rocky films, Million Dollar Baby, and Don King: Only in America. None are documentaries, one might be a true story, but they're all better than this because they each tell a story that's interesting.
What I would have liked to see was more material NOT directly from Tyson, and more background and detail on key fights and other events in his life. And I guess I wish he had a more interesting or unpredictable life, or had shown some kind of growth, or that his story had been placed in context regarding the rest of the boxing world, or that I didn't already know most of what he did just from the news growing up.
Definitely a mis-fire. But I give it a 6 for at least doing what it apparently set out to do, which is let Tyson tell you what he wants to tell you about Tyson, combined with very brief clips of his fights and news.
I can't find much to recommend this film.
I should point out that my review may be tainted by the viewing environment I saw it in. I was at a Windsor International Film Festival screening, where some Chatty Cathys (the real term is unfit for this site) had moved their seats to the left back corner, and talked and laughed loudly over the entire film. They basically added a new sound channel that wasn't supposed to be there, which certainly came as an unpleasant surprise to many of us. I would have walked out, but it was the only showing. So I missed about 10-15% of what was said on screen because they talked over it. Nevertheless, based on the other 85-90% I ultimately don't think I missed much.
That said, here it is: The whole film is just Tyson speaking. Maybe it's a documentary. Maybe it's propaganda. Maybe it's an art film. But it isn't entertaining. Here's a man who has had his brains punched into jelly. Now listen to him speak through an entire film. It's hard to do. Subtitles really would have helped understand the slurred and lisped words some times. But worse, you don't get any wider picture of Tyson than his own mind. This is Tyson on Tyson. But no man is just what he thinks he is himself. Why no words from anyone else? Even when he comments about others, they are given no chance to respond. So it boils down to this is the story Tyson wants to tell about his life. Maybe it's true. Maybe not. Maybe he doesn't know. But it's the usual tale. Nothing new here. No surprises. So why bother? I found the split-screen idea forced. Usually, you'd use that to compare and contrast different things. But here, it's only to distract the viewer from realizing how boring it all is.
I've seen all the Rocky films, Million Dollar Baby, and Don King: Only in America. None are documentaries, one might be a true story, but they're all better than this because they each tell a story that's interesting.
What I would have liked to see was more material NOT directly from Tyson, and more background and detail on key fights and other events in his life. And I guess I wish he had a more interesting or unpredictable life, or had shown some kind of growth, or that his story had been placed in context regarding the rest of the boxing world, or that I didn't already know most of what he did just from the news growing up.
Definitely a mis-fire. But I give it a 6 for at least doing what it apparently set out to do, which is let Tyson tell you what he wants to tell you about Tyson, combined with very brief clips of his fights and news.