As studio producer, he was involved in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, Apocalypse Now, Amadeus, Platoon, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Bugsy, Hook, Philadelphia, and many other films.

Mike has a philosophy that he does not interfere with his directors. He gives them total autonomy. He does not even stop them from overspending, often drawing the ire of his financiers. Nevertheless, the directors and actors all respect him for his artistic integrity.

Whenever the stakes are sky-high, and people can make or lose millions of dollars, you create the perfect breeding ground for corporate blaming, backstabbing, and obsequious behavior. People can be humble and charming when unknown, but the moment fame and fortune touch them, they can transform into grotesque prima donnas. To survive four decades in such an environment calls for Mike's considerable people's skills and charms.

It is of note that although Mike makes aspersive remarks about former Sony Columbia Picture boss Peter Guber, the latter makes no mention of Mike in his book about the film industry, "Shoot Out: Surviving Game and (Mis)Fortune in Hollywood."

Mike was involved in some star-studded flops, including The Missouri Breaks which starred Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando, and Hudson Hawk which starred Bruce Willis. He said that "no star can save a bad picture." He is also honest about the films that he passed on, including The China Syndrome, Good Morning Vietnam, All the President's Men, and Pulp Fiction.

Mike would agree with screenwriter and author William Goldman who said that "in Hollywood nobody knows anything." Why is one film an Oscar winner, a blockbuster, and why is another a box office failure? Nobody knows.

Looking back over his 40 years, he derides the "movies-by-committee" method of making films. He dislikes the overwhelming dominance of commercialism over the film making process, which has not only caused an escalation in the cost of film production, but has also led to choosing films that are "safe bets," and which tend to pander to the lowest common denominator.

Outside the film world, Mike was involved in Gary Hart's, and in Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns.

For film buffs, this book is compulsive reading. It gives you an insight into how films are made in Hollywood. I found this book as riveting as reading a bestselling action-packed novel. I highly recommend it.