The Sum of All Fears

Starring: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Liev Schreiber, Bridget Moynahan, Philip Baker Hall
Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) tries to stop a pending nuclear war between Washington and Moscow, which is all based on false information.

Review:

Tim: After three very good Jack Ryan movies, we get the first film in the 2nd decade of this franchise and by far the worst one. Instead of Alec Baldwin or Harrison Ford, we get Ben Affleck. We also get a poorly constructed story that feels disjointed. It's quite a letdown, because these movies were always so good. This is the most disappointing Jack Ryan movie yet.

Alec Baldwin was terrific as Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, my favorite of the franchise. Harrison Ford did an outstanding job in his two entries, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Ben Affleck takes over as a younger, less experience Ryan. Now, I'm not a huge Affleck hater, but he was very much miscast in this film. He does nothing that makes me interested in this character in the least. He gives a boring, rote performance. He's the worst actor to play Ryan yet, and he makes an interesting character completely forgettable. This is the biggest flaw with the whole movie, because our hero isn't someone who is particularly interesting. If this was the only flaw, that would have been enough. Unfortunately, there are others.

I have never read the Jack Ryan books, so I don't know how much was changed from the source material. I do know that the Ryan in the books was much older and experienced than the Ryan on screen. This makes a huge difference. One of the most outlandish aspects of the film is that this CIA analyst nobody does so much to save the day. The story would work much better as it was originally written.

I thought the plot to explode a nuclear device on American soil was handled quite poorly. I remember watching the film and struggling to believe what I was seeing. This is usually good- doing something in a film that surprises me is definitely an achievement. However, I felt like the Baltimore football game scenes were handled so poorly. It almost felt like an afterthought or an expected event, instead of a completely game-changing one. The shock and the outrage of such an event would be world-wide, yet none of that comes through on screen. I didn't believe the events on screen because they weren't presented in a way that made me suspend my disbelief. This whole sequence was badly handled by the director.

The story just feels a bit too forgettable. While some crazy, memorable things happened, everything unfolds too blandly. I know the movie features a very thrilling climax, but when I think about it, I want to yawn. There was no real suspense, no lasting impact of the film. This is a movie I've seen twice now, and I still have trouble recollecting it. That is a bad, bad sign.

So, while Affleck is a disappointment, the rest of the cast is pretty good. Morgan Freeman was enjoyable as William Cabot, although I wish he was on screen more. James Cromwell makes a very believable U.S. President. I liked seeing Liev Schreiber and Bridget Moynahan, although neither makes a very strong impact. Still, as a whole, the cast here is impressive.

The Sum of All Fears is an average, decent film. It's simply far too poorly paced and explained for its own good. The "Jack Ryan" films are always ones I looked forward to, but this fourth film leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. While I didn't hate the film and it isn't completely awful, this is not what a Jack Ryan movie should be.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger