"Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House" (this title is a bit too sensational for my liking, almost works against the idea and subject this way, just "Felt" would have been much better) is a new 100-minute movie and the most recent release by writer and director Peter Landesman. After collaborating with Will Smith and Oprah previously, his lead actor is Oscar nominee Liam Neeson. He plays the man whose books were also taken as the basis for this movie here: Mark Felt and the film's title already gives away the basis of the film here as he is the one who massively contributed to bringing down Richard Nixon as a consequence of the Watergate affair. By the way, the real Felt died less than a decade ago and he was the associate director of the FBI already under the lead of Hoover. This is referenced early on in this film too, but after Hoover's death the film is all about the title character for sure. And how he deals with issues in his professional as well as private lives. The latter refers to his marriage as well as the apparently complicated relationship with his daughter, but I must say that this was executed really not well at all. It was totally rushed in to be honest and I don't know if they were really expecting an emotional reaction from the audience too when Felt finds his daughter in the end. It was pretty embarrassing and should have been left out completely.
Luckily with the connection to the FBI and Deep Throat and Watergate, the film does a much better job, but this is of course also the key story. I think Neeson did a pretty good job overall, even if it is a bit sad to see him aged that hard. Still, it is probably not a performance or movie that will get a great deal of attention from the Oscars, probably none at all. But why? It's dealing with one of the crucial events from 20th century American politics. It's difficult to say why. Maybe because most of the supporting players, if not all of them, were somewhat underwhelming and with that I don't mean the performances, but the material they were given. The best example is Eddie Marsan, a really versatile actor, who was reduced to a one-scene character. Maybe it was that they would not take any attention away from Neeson. By the way, Michael C. Hall (Dexter) is in it too, even if almost unrecognizable. While telling an interesting story, I still feel that the whole subject is still not 100% clear with what was going on behind the scenes that I would say that this hurts the film's overall perception a bit too. It's tough to make a revealing movie when not everything is actually revealed. Ironically enough, the subject itself is also about revelations back then already. So yes, it wasn't a bad watch, but I think the subject offered a lot more than they managed to achieve here. It's not among the list of the defining and best edge-of-seat political thrillers from recent years. Quite a pity indeed. Nonetheless, I still give it a thumbs-up, a cautious one though as the last pretty great scene and shot can't make me forget about the great deal of mediocrity before. Politics may not really be Landesman's thing. If you like Neeson or the genre, preferably both, then you probably won't be disappointed here.
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House
2017
Action / Biography / Drama / History / Thriller
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House
2017
Action / Biography / Drama / History / Thriller
Keywords: 1970sfbiusa presidentcover-upscandal
Plot summary
1972. Following the death of fifty year FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who the last three Presidents had considered firing, FBI outsider L. Patrick Gray is appointed Acting Director. Associate Director Mark Felt, a dedicated, loyal and meticulous employee of the Bureau for thirty years, and his wife Audrey, feel his being passed over for the job is a major snub, they who have sacrificed their own personal lives for the Bureau. Part of that sacrifice is not being able to devote time in locating the Felts' daughter, Joan Felt, who they have not heard from in a year, they only assuming that her going off their radar being on her own volition in her anti-establishment ideals. Felt not getting the job is arguably due to his being such an integral figure in the controversial Hoover tenure. One of the first cases for the Bureau in Gray's tenure is a break-in at and bugging of the Democratic National Committee offices, the case unofficially called Watergate for the complex in which the break-in occurred. Ordered by Gray by what seems to be unofficial orders passed down from the White House, FBI staff are hamstrung in their investigation, Watergate which has seeming ties to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President and thus possibly the Republican administration in the White House. For the first time in his career, Felt decides to go rogue in an effort for the FBI to gain back its independence without interference by any other organization, including especially the White House. Those rogue actions are largely the treasonous offense of leaking FBI information into the Watergate investigation to the media, first to his friend, Time reporter Sandy Smith, then to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, their source - Felt - known in the public mindset through the code name, Deep Throat. Through the process, Felt tries to protect himself from discovery and protect his FBI associates from innuendo each as possibly being Deep Throat, which becomes more and more difficult with the reelection of Richard Nixon, his administration which uses every tool in their legal and illegal toolbox, including through their patsy, Gray, to discover the identity of Deep Throat.
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A solid movie about a difficult subject
Deep Throat Deserves A Better Film
Liam Neeson stars in the title role about America's most famous whistle blower in "Mark Felt:The Man Who Brought Down the White House". He co-stars with Diane Lane, Josh Lucas, and Tony Goldwyn in this film that tells the story about Felt from his participation in the Watergate Scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon as President of the United States. He was famously identified as "Deep Throat" by the Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
The film overall was a good one. Neeson provided a great performance as Felt. Other members of the cast particularly Lane deserves credit as well. Too bad that the film basically becomes just a companion piece to other films about the Watergate scandal such as more superior 1976 film,"All The President's Men". Added to that,the viewer must also have good knowledge about Watergate to deeply appreciate this film. Most of the screenplay involves talking and conversation about the scandal. Without a lot of knowledge, this film would be confusing to the viewer. Just as the famous line stated by Felt on this film,"Confusion is control" in the sense that one would not know what is truly going on in the film and the impact of Felt's whistle blowing. Without a lot of knowledge about the Watergate, the viewer will be disappointed with it. In that regard,I feel that America's most famous whistle blower deserves a better film wherein the events of the Watergate scandal has been fully explained particularly for viewers who have limited knowledge about it.
But overall,I still consider this a good but not a great film especially for viewers who have knowledge about Watergate.
IF UR INTERSTING IN FBI STORY THEN GO WATCH
Liam nesson my all time favorite actor
well let me tell u about this movie "mark felt" great movie and awesome performens by liam and other actor too
guyz if u love spy things then watch it now