Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House

Starring: Liam Neeson, Diane Lane, Marton Csokas, Tony Goldwyn, Ike Barinholtz, Josh Lucas, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kate Walsh, Brian d'Arcy James, Michael C. Hall, Tom Sizemore, Bruce Greenwood, Noah Wyle, Eddie Marson
Directed by: Peter Landesman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mark Felt (Liam Neeson) serves as an informant, providing reporters with the information that blew open the Watergate Scandal and brought down Richard Nixon.

Review:

Tim: Even though we've gotten so many Watergate-era movies over the decades, I was still looking forward to Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. I was intrigued to see what this behind-the-scenes story would reveal about Deep Throat and the events that we've all familiar with. To some extent, this film accomplishes that goal. I learned a good deal about Mark Felt and his role in perhaps the greatest scandal in U.S. history up to that point. However, the movie never really came together in effective enough fashion. I felt some level of interest, but it also feels like it's just rehashing something we've seen numerous times before. There wasn't enough in the film to really differentiate itself, so as a result, it ends up feeling too forgettable.

I thought this was a decent film, so I definitely don't want to be too hard on it. It gives you insight into some of the key players and explains their motivations. I don't think I was every bored or felt a desire to turn the movie off. That being said, I never really cared about any of the characters, either. It felt like I was reading a history book, more than I was watching real people living their lives. The drama never felt ratcheted up to a maximum level. So, Peter Landesman's film might never have lost me, but it never really grabbed me, either.

The cast is definitely a positive for the film. It was refreshing to see Liam Neeson switch things up and do something besides starring in an action thriller. I liked the change of pace and it was a good reminder that he's actually a really good actor. I'm not quite convinced he was perfect for this role, but I thought he gave a good performance. It's one of those situations where another actor probably should have been cast, but it's hard to fault Neeson for giving so much to the role. He was decently believable as Mark Felt. Diane Lane was a welcome presence, but was grossly underutilized. Marton Csokas and Tony Goldwyn gave good supporting performances. It was nice seeing Ike Barinholtz get away from slapstick comedy and do something serious. He was impressive in the kind of role he usually doesn't play. Josh Lucas always adds to films in his supporting roles and he was fun to watch here. I like Michael C. Hall and appreciated his presence, but his role was minimal. Bruce Greenwood managed to make an outsized contribution to the film, based on his limited screen time. I was a bit surprised to see Tom Sizemore here- I cannot remember the last time I saw him in a film. It was great seeing Noah Wyle, but again, he had a small role. I give the film a lot of credit for assembling an impressive cast, even though many of them are second tier actors. Still, this film had a strong amount of talent. As often happens in films like this, you wish each of them had a bit more screen time.

In the end, I thought Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House was a decent movie. I certainly don't regret seeing it. However, films about Watergate have been done numerous times before and in a crowded collection, this one just doesn't stand out. Sure, it gives a slightly different perspective, but there are better films about this event.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: All the President's Men, Nixon, The Post