I really enjoy this movie every time I watch it. I think everything in Tyson is just right. The actors are perfect, the music is perfect, the script is perfect, and the boxing scenes are perfect. I really liked how this movie starts out with Tyson as a young hood and shows him become a champion. I liked the scenes with Tyson and Cus D'Amato. I don't think they could've got anyone better to play Cus than George C. Scott. He looks exactly like him in this and his acting was great. Everyone was great here, but I think people should give a lot more credit to Michael Jai White. I don't know what everyone was looking for. When I watch the movie I forget it's an actor playing Mike Tyson. He doesn't look exactly like him, but he really comes across as him. Michael Jai White deserved a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
This movie also tries to show you the other side of the stories you heard about Tyson. You probably heard about how Tyson got fresh with Teddy's niece, but this movie shows you that maybe Jamie was going after Mike. You probably heard stories from Robin Givens, but this movie shows how deceptive she really was and how she took advantage of Mike. You probably heard stories about Don King. This movie shows what a jerk he was. It doesn't show it as much as his biopic does, but you get a pretty good idea. You probably heard that Tyson was convicted of rape, but this movie leaves it up to you. It doesn't prosecute him.
I also liked how the movie shows how Mike Tyson isn't the heartless fiend you think he is. It shows that he could love. He loved his mother, he loved Cus D'Amato, he loved Jim Jacobs, he loved Robin Givens, and he loved pigeons. When he loses these people, his life starts to go downhill. The movie also shows Mike Tyson isn't made out of stone. He really was nervous at times and he wasn't always strong, especially when Cus died.
There's really nothing you could say is wrong with this movie. It does everything it's supposed to and pushes all the right buttons. I even thought the fight scenes were great. They were accurate and staged beautifully. My favorite part is when Tyson fights Michael Spinks. You want to know what Tyson was all about watch that fight.
This movie was great for an HBO movie, but I still can't understand why a movie hasn't been released to theaters about Mike Tyson. Maybe they'll make one years and years from now. The movie Ali was just a blown opportunity and a waste of time. If anyone does make a Mike Tyson movie it better not be like that.
I don't just like this movie because I'm a huge Mike Tyson fan. If you took a person that despised Mike Tyson and told them to watch this they would probably end up understanding him by the time the movie's over. It shows who Mike Tyson truly was. I stress the word "was" because the man you see today is not Mike Tyson. The Mike Tyson I saw in this movie would've never lost to Evander Holyfield, or any other fighter that beat him today. The man I saw would've never bit Holyfield's ear, or did any of the things he does today. The Mike Tyson I know is the one I saw beat every challenger in sight. The Mike Tyson I saw knocked out Michael Spinks in 90 seconds. That is the only one I will ever see.
