Mark Felt was the Number Two guy at the F.B.I. under J. Edgar Hoover. When Hoover died, Mark Felt thought he would be promoted to the top job. He wasn’t. Instead, Richard Nixon selected L. Patrick Gray (played by the creepy Marton Csokas). About the same time, the Watergate break-in occurred. The F.B.I. began their investigation, but the White House was meddling daily. We see Mark Felt (aka, “Deep Throat”), admirably played by Liam Neeson, stand up to all the corruption and conniving. Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House isn’t as good as the classic All the President’s Men. It shows how Government agencies work amid the tangles of politics in Washington. I liked Diane Lane as Mark Felt’s wife, but she isn’t given much to do. The sub-plot about Mark Felt’s daughter seemed like an add-on to me. But, all in all, Mark Felt captures the sleaziness of Watergate and the mechanisms that brought Richard Nixon down. GRADE: B
I didn’t even know that they made this one. Interesting. I notice they waited until Felt died,
Jeff, I didn’t know Mark Felt’s back-story. This movie brought back all the creepiness of the Watergate years.
An odd choice for Liam Neeson. Maybe he’s trying to shake off the TAKEN movies.
Bill, I saw an interview with Liam Neeson and he said he doesn’t want to do Action Movies any more. “I’m in my 60s, you know,” Liam told the interviewer.
Interesting, maybe I’ll check it out when it becomes available for home viewing.
Rick, I think you’d like MARK FELT. The bureaucratic maneuverings and double dealing of that era light up the screen!
The Nixon story was really crazy – we all should say thanks to Mark Felt.
Btw, George, your site was hacked when I looked at it this morning (Central European time) – how did you get rid of that spam?
I didn’t react, thought you’d realise it soon after getting up.
Wolf, I’ve been fighting off hackers all week. I hope WORDPRESS supplies a patch to fix the security breach.
Honestly. I found the whole thing unbelievable. Who ever heard of a President messing with an FBI investigation?
Dan, the F.B.I. completely changed after Hoover’s death. Part of MARK FELT shows that vividly.
Thanks for this review, George.
I hadn’t heard a thing about this movie but I was a Watergate junkie (that’s how I got hooked on PBS) so this is right up my alley.
Beth, you would enjoy all the twists and turns in MARK FELT. Liam does a great job!