‘Mark Felt’ fails to breathe life into Deep Throat

Presumably to avoid confusion with the pornographic film that helped give him his nickname, the story of the Watergate whistleblower known for decades as Deep Throat is instead saddled with the tongue-tiring title “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House.”

Umm, spoiler alert!

Felt (Liam Neeson) loves the FBI. After 30 years of service and 13 transfers, the agency’s second-highest ranking member is as married to his job as he is to his wife, Audrey (Diane Lane). But when his investigation into the Watergate break-in is stymied at every turn, Felt turns into Popeye: He’s had all he can stands, and he can’t stands no more.

Despite his adoration of the FBI and all that it stands for, Felt begins giving confidential information to The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward (Julian Morris) and Time magazine’s Sandy Smith (Bruce Greenwood) simply so they can put enough pressure on the attorney general to allow the probe to proceed.

“No one can stop the driving force of an FBI investigation,” Felt says. “Not even the FBI.”

I don’t want to say “Mark Felt” traffics in similarities with the current administration … but “Mark Felt” absolutely traffics in similarities with the current administration.

Looking out a window at protesters, John Ehrlichman (Wayne Pere), President Nixon’s assistant for domestic affairs, wonders aloud, “Why aren’t we arresting anybody?” “Because,” Felt has to tell him, “that isn’t a crime.”

White House counsel John Dean (Michael C. Hall) attempts to rein in the probe, only for Felt to have to remind him, sternly, that the White House has no authority over the FBI.

And after Felt has been using Woodward and Smith for a while, L. Patrick Gray (Marton Csokas), Nixon’s handpicked outsider chosen to lead the FBI after the death of J. Edgar Hoover, fumes, “These leaks are driving the White House crazy!”

Watching Felt stand up to his bosses, disregard repeated orders to conclude the investigation and verbally beat down members of the Nixon White House, it seems unfathomable that no one ever connected him to the man known as Deep Throat.

Still, for a movie with “Mark Felt” in its title, writer-director Peter Landesman’s (“Concussion”) historical drama rarely allows viewers to get to know Mark Felt. Neeson’s performance is subtle, the pacing is lethargic and the result is more like listening to a great actor read a term paper about Felt’s involvement with Watergate.

The only attempt to present Felt outside the scope of the investigation is a subplot involving his missing daughter. But given Neeson’s resume as of late, you half expect this to lead to Felt kicking in the door of the Oval Office and shouting, “Give me back my daughter” before engaging in a shootout with ol’ Tricky Dick.

Preposterous? Sure. But at least it would have lent a sense of urgency to this ponderous history lesson in which little is learned.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.