Mike Wallace Is Here

Filmmaker Avi Belkin’s documentary correctly and effectively makes the point that Mike Wallace (1918-2012)—who became famous as the “gotcha” correspondent on 60 Minutes—represented a new kind of TV journalism, helping to spawn the pugnacious style that is common among cable pundits today. While Wallace’s importance in the advent of “ambush” television is addressed here, that is just a part of the mosaic of the newsman’s life that Belkin explores in a hectic cascade of frenetically-edited archival footage—with frequent split screens—and observational commentary. Mike Wallace Is Here is a full-scale biography, going back to Wallace’s hardscrabble youth and his relentless ambition that led to a breathless career as a pitchman, would-be actor, and announcer before he found his niche with hard-hitting late-night TV interviews, which led to his segue into serious journalism at CBS News. Wallace initially irritated some of his CBS colleagues but he eventually earned respect and renown as a distinguished elder statesman in the field. Belkin concentrates on Wallace’s infamous in-your-face investigative pieces (including his groundbreaking report on the tobacco industry) and his celebrity profiles, while also looking at his personal life, drawing on excerpts from archival interviews with Wallace and others to cover family crises (such as the tragic death of Wallace’s son Peter), and the clinical depression that led Wallace to suicidal thoughts in his later years. Although as imperfect as its subject, this is a compelling portrait of a TV journalist who, despite undeniable flaws, made a difference in both style and substance. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a deleted scene (2 min.). Bottom line: a small extras package for a fine documentary profile.] (F. Swietek)