Mike Tyson is the James Joyce of train-wreck celebrities. Seriously.

Sure, he’s tough to read just like the literary giant, but once you get comfortable and crack his stream-of-conscious flow, it's rich and compelling stuff.

The man responsible for cracking the misunderstood heavyweight champ in "Tyson" is screenwriter and director James Tobek, whose credits include “The Gambler” and “The Pick-up Artist.” Tobek met Tyson when he was just 19, and is able to smelt Iron Mike on the big screen in such a way that despite all of the boxer’s well-publicized transgressions, we feel for the guy.

“Tyson” combines first-person interviews with archival footage and quirky editing to tell the champ’s story. We hear him talk about his gang-bangin’ youth, his quick rise to boxing’s upper echelon, and even protest his rape conviction (Although he does admit to taking advantage of other women).

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Brought up in a rich, sheltered white world, Tyson was released into the wild like a wounded tiger once he fell from the top. And in “Tyson,” he doesn’t for apologies or second (or fifth) chances – he just tells his story and attempts to clear up a few misunderstandings. A self-described shy, nervous kid with a huge inferiority complex, he self diagnoses himself with honest insights and a pretty impressive elocution – despite the pop culture TKO his high registry and garbled rants have taken through the years.

Contrast “Tyson” with the other movie Iron Mike is appearing in, “The Hangover,” in which he makes a one-dimensional cameo as himself, punching out of the B-list comic stars as Phil Collins plays in the background. There you have it, in one week, Mike Tyson is starring in both the No. 1 movie in America and a small documentary indie. Somehow, this exists as a metaphor on Tyson’s private and public bouts.

Either way, it’s just nice to have Tyson back in the spotlight again.

"Tyson," rated R and with a running time of 90 min., is now playing in Richmond and select cities. Mike gives the movie 3 out of 4 stars.

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