Cast: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Alan Bates, Philip Baker Hall, Bruce McGill, Colm Feore, Ciarán Hinds, Bridget Moynahan
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Producer: Mace Neufeld
Screenplay: Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, based on the novel by Tom Clancy
Cinematography: John Lindley
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Trying to fit The Sum of All Fears into the Jack Ryan timeline is going to cause continuity buffs a nightmare. From all appearances, this is a prequel to the other Ryan films (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) - after all, our hero is younger, just starting out at the CIA, and still dating the woman he was married to in the other movies. But, from a global perspective, things are out of synch. The other three Ryan movies were clearly established in the '90s; The Sum of All Fears is firmly set in 2002. So what's going on here? A time warp, perhaps, or an alternate universe. The best approach is not to think about this stuff too hard. The movie stands up well enough on its own.
Changing lead actors is nothing new in the entertainment world. It has happened to Doctor Who, James Bond, and Batman, so why not Jack Ryan? Ben Affleck becomes the third actor to take on the part of Tom Clancy's protagonist, following in the shoes of Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford. Affleck, who is best suited for romantic comedies and low-key dramas, seems a little out of his depth here (much as he did in Armageddon). He is not an action hero - he doesn't look the part nor does he seem comfortable with it. As Ryan, he lacks the toughness of Baldwin and the presence of Ford. Nevertheless, because the success of the film is not wedded to Affleck's effectiveness as Ryan, The Sum of All Fears survives (and, in fact, thrives) in spite of the weak performance of its lead.
Any Clancy fan expecting an exact adaptation of the novel is living in a dream world. Such an endeavor would require a 5-part mini-series, not a 2-hour motion picture. About the only things that remain from the novel The Sum of All Fears are the plot outline and some character names. But, considering the events of 9/11/01, it's eerie to note how prescient Clancy was when he penned the book. The Sum of All Fears went into production before that fateful day, yet the magnitude of the terrorist attack that occurs in the story will have stronger resonance than it would have had a year ago. Suddenly, this sort of thing seems frighteningly credible. It has moved from the imaginations of authors and theorists into the real world. (Ironically, the nationalities of the terrorists have been changed from the book to the screen - they are no longer Middle-Eastern, they are members of a neo-Nazi group.)
The scenario is much like ones that we have heard discussed on TV and radio talkshows in the months following 9/11. A fringe group gets hold of a nuclear warhead and plans to detonate it at a major gathering point of American citizens - in this case, the Superbowl. The goal is not only to create mass hysteria, but to implicate the Russians, and possibly precipitate a nuclear holocaust that will wipe the world's most powerful nations off the map. The movie's logic is a little muddled here (how exactly do the neo-Nazis benefit from emerging in a world that is poisoned by nuclear fallout and shrouded under the clouds of a nuclear winter?), but it's just strong enough for us not to question it while we're watching the movie. Enter Jack Ryan and his boss, CIA director Bill Cabot (Morgan Freeman). Their job: present President Fowler (James Cromwell) with facts that others may not be aware of, and keep the lines of communication open between him and his Russian counterpart (Ciarán Hinds). Much of the film plays like a fictionalized version of Thirteen Days, with higher stakes and a little more action.
If Ben Affleck is a disappointment, the same cannot be said of the supporting players. Although criminally underused, Morgan Freeman brings his usual sense of dignity to his role. James Cromwell is suitably presidential as Fowler, and Ciarán Hinds (perhaps best known as the male lead in the most recent adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion) represents the Russian leader as a man of honor. Live Schreiber is cool and amoral as operative John Clark (a part previously played by Willem Dafoe), and Bridget Moynahan is an adequate replacement for Anne Archer as a younger Dr. Cathy Muller.
When it comes to the techno-thriller, Clancy is the king. The Sum of All Fears may be a stripped-down condensation of his vision, with all the delicious details removed, but the author's world-view is very much in evidence. Director Phil Alden Robinson (a late replacement for Patriot Games' and Clear and Present Danger's Phillip Noyce), whose previous credits include Field of Dreams and Sneakers, does a competent job of escalating suspense and keeping the convoluted storyline relatively coherent - at least for viewers who pay careful attention. A trip to the bathroom or the snack bar may result in confusion from which there is no recovery.
Because of 9/11, The Sum of All Fears is more demanding than the usual escapist summer fare. The echoes of reality in its plot points make suspension of disbelief a facile thing, but therein lies a double-edged blade. Will viewers be able to abandon themselves to the rhythms of the story and the horrors contained therein without the steady presence of Harrison Ford to shepherd them forward? The movie does what all good thrillers should do - provide enough shocks and surprises to keep us guessing, and never lets up on the suspense until the end credits arrive. But now that reality and fantasy have come so close together, can audiences see one without being reminded of the other?
© 2002 James Berardinelli