‘Deep Throat’ revealed, at last!

Film review: Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought the White House Down

MANILA, Philippines — Most journalists certainly know the names Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who were at the news forefront when the Watergate scandal broke out. They were the top-notch reporters of The Washington Post, tasked to expose the controversy that led to the resignation of then US President Richard Nixon in 1974.

At that time, however, the identity of their source, then only known as Deep Throat (in deference to the porn movie starring Linda Lovelace), was kept from the public. The real name was only revealed more than 30 years later, in 2005. Hence FBI associate director Mark Felt belatedly came to fore.

In Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought the White House Down, Liam Neeson breathes life into one of the most covert names in the FBI stable. Subsequently, this film brings viewers back to the ’70s era, when exploits of the crucial secret source in the FBI were brought to life.

Nine years after Mark’s death in 2008 when he was 95 (wow!), Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought the White House Down dramatizes the life of the legendary informant and shadowy figure whose real identity was revealed more than 30 years after the Watergate scandal.

Memorable novel-turned-big screen caper like director Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, instantly comes to mind with this Mark Felt story. Yet, it will be unfair for Mark Felt to be equated with All the President’s Men. The former happened 40 years later, much too late for the Watergate controversy to be uncovered again. Besides, Mark Felt may appear to be just a mere continuation of All the President’s Men or, shall we say, a much-delayed period film sequel?

If at all, to those who have previously seen a Watergate story dramatized on the big or small screen, Mark Felt draws parallelism to present-day America, now that President Donald Trump is in command.

Peter Landesman is an ideal megman tapped to helm the film about FBI whistleblower Mark. Peter was once a journalist so he had a better grasp of what happened 40 years ago to take the credit as writer-director.

Expectedly, Liam eschews strong, commanding presence as the protagonist in Mart Felt. It is indeed harder for an actor to play a non-fiction character, but remember, Liam once portrayed Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning epic, Schindler’s List. Hence, stepping into the shoes of a character like Mark is nothing new to Liam.

In an earlier interview to promote Mark Felt, Liam denied he is retiring from doing action roles since the film is a dramatic thriller. After he started belatedly with Taken, there was apparently no more turning back for Liam to do action capers.

Now at 65, Liam undoubtedly remains a box-office sensation, charting one successful action film after another and ruling consistently at the tills. To say that he still enjoys his action star status is perhaps an understatement. Undeniably, he continues to be a strong box-office draw.

Mark Felt reveals why the more deserving Mark was bypassed to become FBI director, when John Edgar Hoover died in 1972 in only the third scene in the film and President Nixon promoted Louis Patrick Gray (Marton Csokas), an outsider.

Gray was a submarine commander in the navy and had no law enforcement experience. He was merely appointed by the president. That leaves viewers to think, was it also the reason Mark was compelled to eventually expose the truth when the Watergate scandal broke out?

Diane Lane, the leading lady in many romantic films, among them Nights in Rodanthe, Under the Tuscan Sun and Must Love Dogs, plays Audrey, the wife who shows her utter disappointment with having a dedicated and hardworking Federal agent for a husband.

However, make no mistake about her respect for her husband. She calls Mark her “white knight, the chief dragon slayer and guardian of the American dream.” Add to her unhappy marriage the pain that she has to deal with her runaway daughter, Joan (Maika Monroe), who just vanishes one night.

Josh Lucas plays lesser-known FBI agent Charlie Bates, Mark’s subordinate who identifies the latter as the key source inside the agency. Bruce Greenwood is Time Magazine reporter Sandy Smith and Tony Goldwyn (we will always fondly remember him in Ghost) is FBI Intelligence chief Ed Miller.

New actor Julian Morris plays the brief role of Bob and was merely relegated to a scene in a parking lot talking to Mark. Then, viewers tend to look for Carl, who was nowhere found in the film.

Unlike Liam’s previous starrers that merited an R-16 rating due to violence, Mark Felt was surprisingly released with a PG (Parental Guidance) classification. Don’t expect this one to be fast-paced because it definitely is not. In some points, the story even comes to a sluggish pace. Yet, it is not disappointing to watch.