Skullduggary

 

Like most folks in their 30's, I played a lot of Nintendo back in the day. Besides Super Mario Brothers, probably the famous game from that era would be Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Is that the reason I finally got around to watching James Toback's documentary, Tyson? Of course it is.

I'll admit, I probably know as much about boxing now as I did then. Actually, I probably knew more then, as I did beat Tyson himself in the game. As a sports fan in general, I'm definitely aware of the great boxers and have seen them in action at some point. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Apollo Creed, Mayweather, Da La Hoya, Clubber Lang, Holyfield. I've seen clips of them all, most notably Ali.

I've seen vintage clips of Tyson, but unfortunately those get lost behind things like public outbursts, threatening reporters, arrests, biting ears off in the ring, and that tattoo on the face. Clips of his loss to Buster Douglas in 1990 perhaps still overshadows the years before that, when an undefeated Tyson dominated opponents.

Before I say anything else about this documentary, let's talk about the boxing. Tyson wasn't just a power puncher, his speed and defensive skills were nothing less than unbelievable. When you go back and watch these old clips, the first thing you will notice is the blinding speed. It's incredible. While there have been amazing fighters throughout history, no other boxer has put so much fear into their opponents. When you watch the documentary, you'll see the looks on these fighters faces in the minutes leading up to the bouts. They're absolutely terrified. They've already resigned themselves to the fact that they'll lose, and now their legitimate fear is literally living to fight another day.

Understand though, this is not a documentary about boxing, it's about the mind of a madman. Tyson expresses regret, but never seeks absolution. Instead, you get a surprisingly moving insight into the anger, abuse, and sexual deviance. In fact, the words of Jedi Master Yodi never rang more true.

'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering'

I recently listened to an interview with infamous NFL star Bill Romanowski. Much like Tyson, Romanowski owned up to his destructive behavior and was finally being honest in putting his life into perspective. Both athletes contributed their anger to fear. A very deep, dark fear. I have a very similar story involving snakes.

If you're interested, you can stream the documentary via Netflix.

'Whatever the cost may be...'

Okay - I know serious posts are rare here, but here's another.

I have a fascination with war. It's not a romanticized sense of glory, nor is it a morbid curiosity. More so, it's a longing for understanding, not for war itself, but for what these experiences were like for all those unfortunate men, woman, and children that were victims of its horrors.

I can't imagine how I would react as a young guy drafted during the Vietnam war, or a factory worker in the 40's taken across the world to fight the Axis. Would I have been one of the many that stared at the sun, choosing blindness over combat, or drink as many soft drinks as possible to appear diabetic. Maybe I would have decided that being Canadian isn't so bad, or that time in jail gave me my best chance. Hopefully, I would have found the strength that other great men have found, and given my life to be a soldier for our country. Perhaps I would have already excepted my fate, knowing that there are no winners in war, only those who survive. However, having a Vietnam veteran as a step-father, I can tell you - survival comes with a price.

This brings me to the point of this blog, and yes, there is one.

I force myself to watch war movies and documentaries, although, I still can't stomach to watch anything that focuses on the Holocaust as I simply cannot process it. I watch because I feel that I owe it to the people who fought and died in battle to experience some part of what they experienced.

In saying that, I have to admit how deeply moved I was by the History Channel's week long event, 'WWII in HD'. If you have access to this, I strongly encourage you to take the time to watch this series. It follows the war through the eyes and writings of several soldiers, and features restored and never before seen footage. There are no way words can describe the look on the faces of men, minutes away from almost certain death as they invade the shores of a tiny Pacific Island. There is also no way to imagine what it was like for a 20 year jazz drummer, in his first few seconds of combat, to see the guy running ahead of him torn in half by a land mine.

It's amazing to think that I had two uncles land on Utah Beach, one even spent time in a German prison camp. Both returned alive. The difference between them and me? Only the year we were born.

There is no doubt this documentary will haunt you, disturb you - it will horrify you, and it should.