Tyson

Aroview: A full-frontal portrait of Mike Tyson, the notorious, often disgraced former heavyweight champion whose brutality and villainy was witnessed both inside and outside of the ring.

Directed by James Toback, fully disclosed as Tyson’s friend, this is easy to dismiss as an apology for the boxer’s indiscretions – namely, his rape conviction and infamous comeback bout, in which he tore off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear. It is the frankness and willingness by Tyson to open up that gives the film its confronting, redemptive power though, one which strives to examine the intrinsic violence in his world, and allows us to make up our own mind about his troubled nature.

NZ International Film Festival 2009

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