Photo: Countess/Wireimage
Had a chance yesterday to mix it up with my new favorite movie critic—Mike Tyson. The former boxing champion is in Sundance to present Tyson, director James Toback's punch to the gut disguised as a documentary about Iron Mike's hellraising life up till now. More on the doc later, it's elemental, essential viewing. Anyway, I asked the champ—dressed like a fashion icon in suit and knotted tie among the designer-label ski-resort wear sported by visiting Hollywood royality much to the mockery of the refreshingly untrendy locals—what movies he'd seen lately. Turns out Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino was on his mind. "That was a good one," said Tyson with a secret smile, as if reliving the spectacle in his head of Eastwood staring down his rifle at a few hoods who trespass on his front yard. To hear Tyson's trademark lisp as he repeated Eastwood's catchphrase, "Get. Off. My. Lawn," will probably stand as my favorite memory of Sundance '09. Tyson said he had only one reservation about Gran Torino. "I didn't like the ending. He's referring, without spoiling the twist, to Eastwood playing against his violent Dirty Harry image, as he's pretty much done since Unforgiven. "Look, said Tyson, "I'm not stupid and I know what Clint was doin'. I respect it. But there's something in me that wanted to see him just blow people away. Come on, I think a lot of people in the audience want to see that."

Well do ya, punks?