Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson

A provocative biography of former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson, one of the most controversial figures in boxing at the time this film was made. Plucked from a juvenile detention center at the age of 12, he was placed in the hands of legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato; by 20 he had reached the pinnacle of his career, and by the time he was 25 he had been sentenced to six years in prison for rape. The film combines archive footage of Tyson's fights with news reports on his life and exclusive interviews with people who knew him and those who have followed his career. These include trainer Teddy Atlas, former wife Robin Givens and bodyguard Ken Simmons; we also see Desiree Washington, the woman Tyson raped, confront the boxer in an archive interview. Tyson's life is subjected to a probing 90-minute examination, from his early youth in the projects to his greatest athletic feats. Slowly but surely, a picture emerges of a young, wealthy man who has never learned to tell right from wrong. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)