The Sum of All Fears *** ½
Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
Written by: Tom Clancy (novel), Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne (screenplay)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Ciaran Hinds
Rated PG-13 (because, in all reality, the MPAA rating system is arbitrary.)
If this movie doesn’t scare the hell out of you, man, you’re cold.
Now, how do I go about writing a synopsis of this one... Jack Ryan (Affleck) works for the CIA as an analyst specializing in Russian politics. He, and the other people in his office (he’s not a department head), watch lots of TV. They keep tabs on how much weight the Soviet President has gained, if he’s drinking again, who that person in the background is, who is having sex with whom, all of which are important details when a) keeping intel up to speed and b) shaping foreign policy. When the Soviet President has a heart attack and dies, Alexander Nemerov (Hinds) is picked to succeed him. Ryan wrote a massive research paper on Nemerov while in grad school, and knows more about him than most of the US government. For this reason, he is called in by CIA Director Bill Cabot (Freeman). Nemerov is something of an enigma – “He talks like a hard-liner, he acts like a hard-liner...” says one of President Fowler (Cromwell)’s Cabinet members. Ryan thinks that it’s all a ploy to get the real hard-liners (read: Communists) off of his back so he can start solving the Chechnya situation. Ryan and Cabot go over to Russia to make sure that the Russians are meeting their end of the START-II treaty and dismantling their nuclear arsenal. Nemerov tells the US to keep away from Chechnya. Ryan notices that 3 Russian nuclear scientists are missing. The essential three that would be needed to construct a nuclear bomb. This is not good. When a chemical attack that basically causes cerebral palsy is launched against the capital of Chechnya, Grozny, things get worse. Oh, and someone who isn’t Russia or America, or even a nation for that matter, has a nuclear bomb. That’s kind of an important detail. Please note that this is as simple a synopsis as I could write.
Many people were upset with the casting of Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan, who was played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October and Harrison Ford in Patriot Games. Those people are wrong. Yes, it might not be entirely faithful to the storyline of the books, but that doesn’t matter. This movie is the best Jack Ryan movie, hands down. Affleck does a great job. I don’t think anyone is going to complain about Morgan Freeman. I’ve liked James Cromwell ever since he played Farmer Hoggitt in Babe, and he makes a fine President. All of the other actors are good, too. Lots of character (read: “Hey, it’s that guy!”) actors portray President Fowler’s cabinet. By far the coolest character in the movie is Mr. Clark, played by Liev Schreiber. He's one of those CIA agents that doesn't officially exist. They do the things that are generally frowned upon by things like 'other governments' and 'international treaties'. Tom Clancy is not only an author -- he has a media company called Red Storm Entertainment. One of his game series, Rainbow Six, is a tactical simulation (you have a group of soldiers, you command them to, say, rescue a hostage). I think he's clearly missing out on a BIG franchise by not making a Metal Gear-type game with Mr. Clark.
Robinson’s direction was very good. You’ve seen his stuff before – he also directed Field of Dreams and Sneakers, so he knows how to work with a talented cast. The cinematography was also good. Especially after... crap – I’m not going to give that away. Trust me. The pacing was tight, for the most part. If there were any lags, I’ve forgotten them.
After seeing this movie, I’m scared. Don’t get me wrong – I’m gonna sleep just fine tonight. The Sum of All Fears isn’t a huge downer. It’s just the exact emotional opposite of Dr. Strangelove.
