I saw James Toback's Tyson doc and have two thoughts about it. One: Back when Tyson first got that facial tattoo I thought it was a freakish thing to do. I actually was somewhat appalled by it. I interpreted it as a symbol of the depths to which Iron Mike had sunk. But in Toback's documentary the facial tattoo comes off as this beautiful symbol of the boxer's courage. A scar. A war wound. A symbol of the battles he's been through and the fact that he's nevertheless unbowed and unbeaten. There's a peculiar dignity to it that leaves me wanting to have something similar. I left that movie wanting a facial tattoo, which is something I've never felt before. But what would I get? Not the same sort of Maori slash that Tyson has. Maybe something on each temple. Ooh, that would hurt -- getting tattooed on the temple.
The other thing about Tyson that I loved was the boxer's honesty. How often do we ever see someone speaking honestly about anything? Never. People censor themselves. Censoring yourself is probably the intelligent thing to do. But Tyson doesn't censor himself at all. That's what's so fascinating about him, and the film. Really, the film is nothing -- most of it amounts to a single interview shot with multiple cameras with the edits covered by some really awesome B-roll. It's the honesty that captivates, that keeps you watching. What the hell is he going to say next? Paraphrasing here, there's a moment at the end of his last fight where he says something like, "I'm done. I just don't have it anymore. I just did this fight for the money and it was a bad decision -- I'm doing a dis-service to the sport I love."
The movie has changed my mind about Tyson. I went into it thinking the guy is a bum. And he is, in one way. But he's an intelligent, honest bum, and in the end that honesty redeems him. For someone (me) who is currently writing a memoir chronicling my rebellions against fatherhood, this about-face the documentary has prompted in me contains an important lesson: Honesty redeems.
