Reviewed by Adam Whittaker
Stars Michael Jai White, George C Scott, Paul Winfield, Rebeckah Johnson,
James Sikking, Malcolm-Jamal Warner | Written by Robert Johnson, from the novel by José Torres
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £7.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 104 minutes | Directed by Uli Edel
Debate has raged for over 20 years as to whether "Iron" Mike Tyson would have beaten Muhammad Ali, deemed the two greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Ali was the stylist, Tyson the archetypal thug. For me, Tyson was the best fighter that has ever lived.
Following the stereotypical deprived upbringing associated with boxers, Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 20, destroying his division with a brutality not witnessed since the days of Marciano and Liston. Unifying the title, Tyson boxed his way into history and created a mania that swept the world. Tyson, The Story of a Champion, charts the heavyweight's life from his amateur career, through to his first professional defeat and conviction for raping Desiree Washington. His turbulent personal life and glorious early career are well documented and in this movie we are taken through his rollercoaster life and fragile mentality.
For any fan of Tyson the boxer, this movie will automatically be engaging and reasonably insightful as the pugilist was such a fascinating man himself. However, this incredible story is let down by a horrendous script and some decidedly shocking acting. While White does a respectable job of bringing out the man behind the boxer, supporting roles are quite frankly an insult to people who can only be described as legends. Scott is an atrocious Cus d'Amato, arguably the greatest boxing coach who has ever lived. He is hindered by a script that is laughable and at times downright cringeworthy. His death, which was devastating to Tyson, carries no emotion and feeling whatsoever and the influence of Tyson's father figure and the effects of his passing are poorly recreated. The controversial and enigmatic character of promoter Don King is never effectively shown by a poor Winfield and the only support White can enjoy is from the respectable fight scenes.
This is no Raging Bull or even Ali, and the potential to fully explore the life of a controversial sporting legend is well and truly missed. It punches well below its weight and I sincerely hope Tyson originally tried to recoup some of his lost fortune by suing the producers when it was made. Immensely disappointing given the subject matter and boxing fans will feel as cheated as the man himself often was.
EXTRAS None