Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie

Long before O'Reilly and Beck, Morton Downey, Jr., was tearing up the talk-show format with his divisive populism. Between the fistfights, rabid audience, and Mort's cigarette smoke always "in your face," The Morton Downey Jr. Show was billed as "3-D television," "rock and roll without the music." Évocateur meditates on the hysteria that ended the '80s and ultimately its most notorious agitator.

Directed by Jeremy Newberger, Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie leans on a strong ensemble — Morton Downey, Jr., Gloria Allred, Michele Bachmann — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2013.