There’s a second-hand quality to Outrage that stems, in large part, from director Kirby Dick’s decision to not place himself front and center as he did in his prior non-fiction exposé, This Film Is Not Yet Rated. In examining – and outing – closeted gay politicians who support anti-same-sex legislation, Dick relies primarily on the investigative work of others, whether it be Blogactive’s Michael Rogers, who was reportedly instrumental in bringing to light the story of Senator Larry Craig’s failed public bathroom stall pick-up, or satellite radio talk-show host Michelangelo Signorelli, who years prior publicized deceased Malcolm Forbes’ carefully concealed homosexuality. By letting others do the heavy lifting, the filmmaker comes off as more than a little reticent, a quality in tune with the overall tone of his latest – which repeatedly justifies its modus operandi of outing closeted pols by cogently arguing that hypocrisy can’t be tolerated in public officials – and one that prevents it from generating the type of horrified, righteous indignation implied by its title.

Outrage focuses on a handful of high-profile cases to reinforce its central argument that there’s a vast conspiracy afoot to legally persecute the country’s millions of gay men and women. Any such grand scheme is never dragged into the light of day by Dick, however, as his documentary makes a strong case not for a collusive plot orchestrated by shadowy forces, but for a more predictable pattern of behavior followed by individuals interested in attaining positions of power at any cost. Whether it be Jim McGreevey, who speaks openly about his outing, or Florida governor/2012 presidential hopeful/long-time bachelor Charlie Crist, who for years has been dogged by rumors about his sexuality, the explanation remains largely similar: desperate to not alienate any portion of the voting population, aspiring Capital Hill bigwigs hide their sexual identity behind hetero facades, and then, once elected, embrace an anti-gay platform as a means of reinforcing their own ruse (and, also, censuring the very thing they dislike about themselves). The hypocrisy is, unsurprisingly, quite galling, and though Dick’s statistics could use a bit more clarification (his anti-gay voting record percentages remain vaguely defined), the thrust of his argument is forceful.

Which is why, alas, Outrage is so frustrating. Rather than pursuing someone like Crist himself, Dick mainly relies on talking heads and third-party news footage and interviews to make his case, which drains the film of immediacy and leaves one craving more concrete confirmation of the accusations being leveled. Just as problematic are the doc’s diversions, most notably one in which Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is outed by a speaker who claims that the newsman once hit on him, an aside that’s meant to reinforce the idea that many in and around politics are concealing their sexual preferences in order to climb the professional ladder, but mostly seems like tabloid gossiping only speciously related to the primary point about political two-facedness. Even more than such inconsequential diversions, however, Outrage suffers from a lack of surprise or complexity, its revelations already well-known – unless some have yet to hear that former New York City mayor Ed Koch liked men – and its contentions so straightforward and clearly expressed that, after twenty minutes, the film has conclusively made its case, and thus proceeds to merely spin its wheels.