"Tyson"

A far cry from Leon Gast’s 1996 masterpiece, “When We Were Kings,” James Toback’s “Tyson” is not unsatisfying even if it is, essentially, Mike Tyson reflecting on Mike Tyson. It’s heavy on a contemporary interview and light on clips and interviews from his early days. Still, it’s all we have of this tired and demoralized boxer. Iron Mike’s introspect is surprising at times (who would have guessed he was so deep?), but in the end, it is, and was, all about a paycheck – a revelation that carves an even wider abyss between him and a great like Muhammad Ali. If you’re going to see “Tyson” at all, make it a double-feature with Gast’s Rumble in the Jungle backstory.

FYI: “When We Were Kings” http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800026798/info

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