It begins with a combative interview clip where former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly tells legendary TV journalist Mike Wallace that he’s a dinosaur. That’s the starting point of this enthralling documentary about the rich career of Wallace who’s primarily remembered as the hard-hitting, charismatic and trusted face of the groundbreaking TV news magazine 60 Minutes over many decades. There was a time when he was the fresh-faced upstart who had to fight to get attention. This well-researched film consists entirely of archive footage, but it’s often riveting stuff that offers a glimpse of the real person and his tragedies, as well as tons of fascinating encounters with a wide array of celebrities and political leaders.
2019-U.S. 90 min. Color-B/W. Produced by John Battsek, Avi Belkin, Peggy Drexler, Chris Leggett, Rafael Marmor. Directed by Avi Belkin.
Last word: “Mike always talked about [the death of his son Peter] as his tipping point in a way. That’s the moment when he decided he’s not going to do anymore fluff. He was going to do real, serious journalism. I find it more a symbolic moment. Mike was the master of the tough question. The death of Peter was the moment Mike asked himself the tough question.” (Belkin, CBS)
