Tyson

Sun 16 Sep 2012, 9:30pm

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In Tyson, the former champion looks at his own life in and out of the ring with a candor and eloquence that is shocking, funny and brutally honest.

A man who arose from debased circumstances and soared to great heights

James Toback’s documentary portrait ranges from Tyson’s earliest memories of growing up on the mean streets of Brooklyn through his entry into the world of boxing under the stewardship of his trainer Cus D’Amato, his roller coaster ride through the fun house of worldwide fame, his fortunes won and lost.

Through a mixture of original interviews and archival footage and photographs, a complex human being emerges. A uniquely controversial international athletic icon, a figure conjuring questions of race and class, a man who arose from debased circumstances and soared to great heights -- followed by destruction generated by hubris, like a character out of classical tragedy.