The timeline of events
isn’t the only thing that is messed up in “The Sum of All Fears,” directed by
Phil Alden Robinson. Dustin Putman said in his review, “Replacing the deep
human element of "Patriot Games" and the meticulously developed
"Clear and Present Danger" is a surprisingly ineffectual cautionary
tale about the effects of nuclear warfare. With a premise that is eerily
similar to the tragic events of 9/11, one would think the film would pack a
veritable wallop, but it does not. Instead, it wavers somewhere on the
disappointing line of emotional sterility.”
President Fowler,
played by James Cromwell, believes that a foreign country – maybe Russia – is planning
a nuclear attack on the United States. Jack Ryan and his boss, Bill Cabot,
played by Morgan Freeman, are called in to give him with facts about this supposed
plan that he probably would not know about. Putman said, “Jack Ryan eventually
uncovers that Russia is being set up as the fall guy for this possibly
catastrophic attack, and it is up to him to convince Fowler and his fellow CIA
workers that his beliefs aren't merely wild shots in the dark.” Meanwhile, a
bomb is secretly inserted in Baltimore, where it is set to go off at the
Superbowl.
Putman said, “Written
by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, "The Sum of All Fears" is a
textbook example of how to make a highly charged political thriller about a
possibly very real disaster and strip it of all its potency. The film is
certainly a timely one, to be sure, and there is an undoubted fear that
something of this calamitous proportion could occur right outside our front
door, but there is no real payoff.” When the bomb goes off, destroying a
half-mile radius of Baltimore and ruining much of the city, the results are
anticlimactic. Putman said, “In director Phil Alden Robinson's goal of not
truly shaking anybody's nerves, he has softened this major plot development to
such a degree that you never even see the football stadium explode, and the
shots of destruction in its wake last all of ten seconds.” Even though a series
topic should not be developed in any way, it is evident this serious part of
the movie has been really edited down. To put it simple, Robinson fooled with
the audience of what they came to see initially.
Putman noted, “As
professionally acted as the picture is, the performers generally do not get
enough time to develop their roles beyond types. The charismatic Ben Affleck
amicably plays Jack Ryan as a wide-eyed man just starting his career, and
without the cynicism and rough edges that he is to later develop.” Morgan
Freeman brings a certain amount of greatness to every role he plays, and the
underwritten Bill Cabot is no exception. James Cromwell is serious and regretful
as President Fowler. Live Schreiber is calmly immoral operative John Clark.
Bridget Moynahan stands in as a passable younger version of the character
created by Anne Archer.
While the first half is
mainly buildup, the second half of “The Sum of All Fears” raises the stakes and
speeds up to be slightly involving. Sadly, the longer the film goes, the more unbelievable
its details become. If Ben Affleck continues to reprise Jack Ryan in other sequels,
he has what it takes. Putman ended his review by saying, “It can only be hoped,
however, that more attention is paid not only to the unflinching realism of the
situations, but also to the human element of what, exactly, makes Jack Ryan
tick.”
This sadly started the downhill
slope of the “Jack Ryan series.” I don’t recommend this one, but if you want to
see it, see it once and never again. It felt a little like a bore, so I would
say to give this one a pass.
Look out everyone
because tonight I’m going to see “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” so you’ll get a
review of that tonight.
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