Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Renowned sports fanatic, basketball tragic and occasional loudmouth Spike Lee swaps the hardwood of Madison Square Garden for the velvet curtains of Broadway, and Mike Tyson swaps sweaty mitts for a shiny mic in Undisputed Truth, a taping of one of Tyson's one-man shows in which he candidly shares the highs, lows, jokes and traumas of his colourful and exorbitant life.

You don't earn this many nicknames without having a natural and all-consuming charisma and Mike Tyson, alias 'Iron Mike', alias 'Champ', alias 'The baddest man on the planet,' has it in droves. He tells the story the only way it can possibly be told, not with stereotypically bearded and bespectacled talking heads, or bland and well-worn archive footage, but with a youthful enthusiasm that truly captures the man he is: one with many faults but who oozes passion and a pursuit of excellence.

Tyson's storytelling is a little sloppy and often erratic, but certainly never boring. Those looking for a well-balanced discussion of some of the most scrutinised moments of his life may find Undisputed Truth to be as shallow and self-serving as any predictable, studio-sanctioned biopic. But Iron Mike doesn't care. If he wants to explicitly denounce Don King, call his ex-wife a demonic, rabid golddigger or recall the time he didn't know what to do with Brad Pitt – the details of which are far too sordid for publication – then that's exactly what the Champ will do.

His tale isn't all slander and street fights though, as some genuinely touching moments come through in his remembrance of fallen friends and family. If there was something admirable about the brash, violent young man who turned sheer rage into inconceivable success, then there's just as much to like about the reflective, repentant man he has become, both traits of which are displayed in equal measure in this engrossing narrative.

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I'm not going to write a book about this movie--suffice it to say if you've ever heard of, or had an opinion of Mike Tyson, then you should see this. Mike tells his life story from his beginnings in Brooklyn up to the present day. Although laced with profanity, his story is at times funny, sad, happy, tragic, and yet in the end, hopeful. He's had his ups and many downs, but through it all he has come out of it a better person, father, and man.

I always thought Mike Tyson was the most awesome boxer I ever saw. I'm glad to see he's finally become an awesome man, too.

Definitely worth a watch.

I had the pleasure of witnessing Mike's 2nd quickest ever KO v Lou Savarese in Glasgow 2000. His first punch landed Savarese on the canvas and it was all over after 38 secs. His status as a legend in my mind was still intact and he's still the greatest, fiercest fighter of my lifetime.

I was a bit apprehensive before watching Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth though. I didn't know this was gonna go down. I was worried he'd brag too much about his victories, come across too cocky or be the opposite and be nervous, get stage fright or gloss over some difficult events in his life that we wanted to hear his side of. I mean it's one difficult task punching the lights out of somebody in front of tens of thousands, it's a more daunting one to bare your soul alone on stage in front of a few hundred up close and personal. But he didn't just pull it off well, he totally killed it and delivered a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows and laughter and tears that like most of his fights felt over all too early but had you pondering about what just happened for days after.

Even if you never liked Mike as a fighter or the man you thought he was you should watch this and if you still dislike him after it then fine, at least you'll be disliking the real Tyson and not the one the media and a host of money-digging parasites have been spinning you for years...but I think you might just come away with a changed perception to the one you held before.

The only way to review Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, a truly inspiring, gripping one man show, is to use many quotes Tyson himself uses during the show. The show itself is predicated off of the idea that Tyson is doing one of the things he love (talking about himself) and doing it in the way he wants, with no filter, no editing, and no boundaries. While I have no interest in watching any fights Tyson appeared in, or even any interest in boxing in the slightest, my love and hunger for a great life story will never cease. I make time for stories like Chris Herren's and Tyson's, athletes that had it all, had a real problem, sought help, and now are brave enough to speak in front of an untold amount of people and provide a packed house with their thoughts and feelings on specific issues in their life.

"Thank you for coming out tonight and welcome to my living room," says a seated Tyson when the spotlight first comes on him at the beginning of the special. "Many are probably wondering what the hell Mike Tyson is gonna do on stage tonight, right? Frankly, I'm wondering the same thing," he follows up humorously. At that moment, I assumed that Tyson had no real clear-cut idea what he was gonna do with Undisputed Truth and just come out guns-blazing with whatever he felt he needed to address in his life.

That assumption was destroyed on sight; Tyson knew what the hell he was going to talk about and did a damn fine job doing it. Performing on Broadway in New York, he discusses his life as a hopeless street thug ass a young kid, arrested thirty-eight times as a kid in the bleak area of Brownsville. Brownsville was a town that was littered with "perverts, drug addicts, pimps, prostitutes, etc" before white-folk came and planted trees in front of the buildings, Tyson adds. "Now this area is like DisneyWorld," he states, commenting on how colorful the New York area seems to the mainstream public. He follows by saying this is a story of, "my mistakes, my heartaches, my joy, my sorrow, my gift, my life, my undisputed truth. Let's get this popping'!" Tyson discusses it all, fighting sweat, his heavily-mocked lisp, and his age to tell his story through humorous voices, breathless physical acting, reminiscing, heavy emotions, and a deep-rooted, conscious honesty that shows in the way he talks about issues. He comments how he never knew his father and barely knew his mother. He states how his mother probably wouldn't think he'd get out of Brownsville unless it was in handcuffs or a wooden-box. It was a cold area where "dreams are broken and memories best forgotten." The motto of the land was "never run, never will," and whatever they could smoke or drink "the cheaper the better," the kids of the neighborhood had it.

Had it not been for an Italian man named Cus D'Amato, who saw Tyson's vicious fighting style on the streets of Brownsville as a young kid and thought he could have a career as a heavyweight fighter. Tyson shows us what a typical training exercise with D'Amato looked like, which involved several breakneck fighting moves done in less than thirty-seconds. After demonstrating, Tyson says with little breath, "f***, I'm glad I ain't gotta do this s*** for a livin' no more!" From there on out, he discusses his ups and downs during his heavyweight career, his marriages, and his post-fighting life which involved one move met with heavy controversy.

Believe it or not, that was his heavily-popularized facial tattoo that he said was a choice he made while he was on cocaine. Even when he's three years sober he tells people, "don't like it, don't f****** look!" which I commend rather than denounce. Furthermore, another controversy he describes for a brief time is the allegations of rape as proposed by Desiree Washington. He explores the case for just a brief time before concluding it by stating simply and humanly, "I did not rape Desiree Washington and that's all I have to say." Tyson could've easily come out on stage with venom, like he did when discussing the numerous brawls he engaged in with Mitch Green, but he discusses the subject with maturity.

On another note, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth was directed by Spike Lee, who is just coming off his masterpiece Red Hook Summer and just concluded filming on Da Blood of Jesus, his crowd-funded film. We can see why he chose Tyson as his intermediate film because of the way he films Tyson, often with birds-eye-view shots, shots that include two perspectives/views of him, and with a tremendously sleek editing style, capturing the energy and charisma of Tyson. Lee simply admires Tyson's complete confidence with speaking, his unapologetic vulgarity, and his willingness to tell the truth in the raw while performing. Undisputed Truth marks a landmark point in Tyson's life and should not go unseen.

I'll conclude the way Tyson concludes the eighty-three minute endeavor: "I hope you leave here with a better understanding of me, Michale Gerard Tyson and my undisputed truth. Thank you for allowing me to share this roller-coaster ride of emotions with you."

NOTE: Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth will be airing on HBO for the remainder of November and should see a DVD release sometime in 2014.

Starring: Mike Tyson. Directed by: Spike Lee.

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