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Rating: B+
Mark Felt is a name that few people may know today, but many know his alias Deep Throat, the man who was the key whistleblower in the Watergate scandal in the 1970's. Liam Neeson takes on the role of FBI second-in-command Mark Felt in the film Mark Felt The Man Who Brought Down The White House. This film picks up right after the death of J. Edgar Hoover and when Nixon is very close to winning the election for president. With this film, we get a fresh look on what brought one of the FBI's most by the book man to leak classified information to the press all in the name of justice.
Liam Neeson does a fantastic job in the role of Felt. A guy who believes in the letter of the law and in his job and what it stands for. He sees the FBI as the ultimate and most honored police force the nation has and it's validity and honor must be kept because without it what would become of the USA. When Felt starts to put together that the White House is performing some less than legal work in order to ensure Nixon's reelection he does everything he can to ensure that the truth sees the light of day. Despite the fact that at every turn he is being undermined by not only the white house but also the interim FBI director L. Patrick Gray (Marton Csokas) he does the only thing he can think to do, leak information to the public, putting not only himself but his family and career in jeopardy.
Overall, I really liked the film. I feel like this is actually fairly relevant to even some of the situations we face today in politics. The movie talks about ruling via confusion and how easy it is to keep the American people a bay through misdirection and obviously this is true considering Nixon did win the election despite all the chaos surrounding him and Watergate. It is funny how movies like this are starting to feel more and more important, much in the same way that if we forget history we are doomed to repeat it. Despite the fact, we have all heard the story of Watergate before this film feels like a fresh stance on it and despite the 103minute runtime, it seems to fly by rather quickly. Again, Neeson is great as Felt. Csokas as temporary FBI director Gray is also giving us a great performance. He has a knack for playing these villainous characters and is no different here. Diane Lane takes on the role of Mark's wife Audrey and it also charming, but tired of the FBI life she has lived for the past 30 years and is also trying to cope with the disappearance of her and Mark's Daughter who they worry may have run away and joined a political group like The Weather Underground.
The story brings some humanity to a man who many just see as this shadowy figure and that seems crucial. People need to realize that at the end of the day the people who change the world are just that, people, and not some superhero in the shadows or some puppetmaster behind the curtain. Everyday people can absolutely change the world for the better with the right determination. Mark Felt was a man who was willing to risk everything because he knew what was happening was wrong and he did something about it. Was he perfect? No, but who is? We scored Mark Felt The Man Who brought Down The White House with a Solid B+.
Don't miss Mark Felt The Man Who Brought Down The White House in Theaters everywhere october 20th.
Mark Felt:
The Man Who Brought Down The White House