The Sum of All Fears Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)February 1st, 2003
The Sum of All Fears
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson
Written by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne (based on the novel by Tom Clancy) Starring Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, and Liev Schreiber Grade: B
What is it about spies that allows them to get younger every decade or so while the rest of us just get older? British superspy James Bond periodically gets a facelift, and now American agent Jack Ryan receives the same treatment, moving from the distinguished wrinkles of Harrison Ford (who played Ryan in "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger") to the boyish charms of Ben Affleck. However, while the Bond films try to maintain some vague continuity despite recasting the part, "The Sum of All Fears" desires either to stand alone or to relaunch the series. In fact, it borrows the basic outline of its plot from "The Hunt for Red October," the first Ryan film. In both "Red October" and "All Fears," Ryan is an anonymous researcher writing books on Russia for the CIA when he is suddenly plucked from his cubicle and tossed into the center of a nuclear standoff. In both, Ryan has a different interpretation of what's transpiring than everyone else, and the courage of his convictions puts him into the field. In "Red October," Ryan was convinced that a renegade Soviet submarine captain was defecting, not attacking. Similarly, in "All Fears," he's convinced that the new Russian president (Ciarán Hinds), who is known as a hardliner, is not behind a conspiracy to attack the US.
As frightening as the Cold War staring contest was, "All Fears" addresses the even more frightening world that confronts us now, a world in which there are so many nuclear weapons that no one can account for all of them. The movie begins with an Israeli fighter being shot down in the 1970's. An unarmed warhead purchased secretly from the US falls into the desert to be dug up in the present day. A representative of a neo-Nazi terrorist group (Colm Feore) purchases the bomb.
Meanwhile, the US government has become nervous about the change in Russian leadership. The director of central intelligence, William Cabot (Morgan Freeman), opts to go personally to inspect the Russian program to dismantle their missiles. He asks Ryan to accompany him because Ryan researched the new Russian president, Alexander Nemerov. Although out of his element, Ryan brashly jumps in and offers his views to Nemerov, Cabot, and even the US President (James Cromwell) and the Joint Chiefs. Despite appearances that Nemerov is mobilizing the Russian army to move against Chezneia, Ryan insists that Nemerov would not do that.
Ryan's investigation leads him to the trail of the terrorists' warhead. With field agent John Clark (Liev Schreiber), Ryan tracks the conspiracy to Baltimore, where the terrorists plan to detonate the bomb during the Super Bowl. They hope to ignite a nuclear war that will annihilate both the US and Russia and leave a power vacuum they can fill.
This is one of those films that takes on new and unplanned for meanings after September 11, 2001. Before the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the notion of a stray nuclear warhead being smuggled into America would seem safely remote, plausible but not likely, and the audience could enjoy the film with detachment. However, now the threat seems disturbingly imminent, making "All Fears" difficult to enjoy as an action-adventure.
Affleck brings more charisma to the role than his predecessors did, but little else. He's most effective in comic moments with Morgan Freeman, who seems to specialize in being a foil for young hotshots (like Brad Pitt in "Se7en" and Chris Rock in "Nurse Betty"). Ryan's naďve exuberance clashes nicely with Cabot's politically savvy reserve. The greater quality of the humor over the action probably reflects director Phil Alden Robinson's previous experience with much lighter fare. (His other films are "Sneakers," "Field of Dreams," and "In the Mood.")
© 2003 Christian L. Pyle
Read my other reviews:
http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Christian+Pyle
More on 'The Sum of All Fears'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
