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| The Sum of All Fears | 
| Category: Movie
Buy New: $2.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  307 reviews
Sales Rank: 3659
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 124 minutes
ASIN: B000IZ6USS
Theatrical Release Date: May 30, 2002
Release Date: October 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 sum of all stars? zero! May 20, 2006
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
Maybe no one noticed but towards the end of the movie when the Russian President and Jack Ryan are talking to each other through the computer, repeat is spelled "reapeat". On top of that, the acting was horrible...this movie didn't take itself seriously enough. Ben Affleck sucked as much as he did in this movie as he did in Pearl Harbor.
 Thoroughly Engaging! Expresses True Spirit of the Book! May 1, 2006
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
The film begins with gripping scenes and haunting music ... Fighter jets landing, powerful spiritual music that is sad and almost like a funeral - setting the tone for what is to come. Ben Affleck plays the CIA agent Jack Ryan to perfection. There is great casting for all the major roles and key characters in the book. Although in the book, the city of Denver is the location used by terrorists for the attack, the choice of Baltimore, Maryland makes sense, since there is a port which clearly can be the point of entry for contraband. The fact is the film remains true to the intentions and spirit of Tom Clancy's book. There is political maneuvering, espionage, edge-of-your seat gripping moments after the attack and a very well executed plot. Suspense builds and the story unfolds ... The topic is fascinating and timely. It is almost like the "007" films of old ... You more or less know what to expect, but the ride is so engaging, you are caught up in the drama and events.
A nuclear bomb is discovered in the desert by a bedouin, left buried from a downed airplane during the '73 Israeli War. He suspects it has some value and can make money by selling it. An agent purchases it for a mere pittance, vastly less than its true worth ... so realistic. After the unexpected death of the Russian President, his replacement is investigated by the CIA. The US President, his advisors and the CIA are busy extracting information about this relative "dark horse" to discover his stand on the major issues. In the past, Jack Ryan had written a paper on him, extrapolating his views on world events ... He accompanies a delegation from the US to visit Russia and ensure nuclear disarmament is going according to plans. Each side assesses the opposition with wary reminders of the past ever in the forefront of their minds ... How difficult it was to learn about Soviet arms during the cold war, US agents had died trying to access .information ... now a delegation was freely being shown the labs, nuclear reactor and storage facilties. Times had indeed changed ...
The US President attends a filled to capacity football stadium in Baltimore, MD when suddenly, unexpectedly and rapidly Secret Agents usher him out ... A huge explosion occurs, with the mushroom cloud indicating a nuclear bomb went off. During the disaster, Jack Ryan seeks his superior, only to find him taking his last breath. He pays his last respects and uses his cell phone and ID bage to enter the White House. Jack had discovered irrefutable evidence that proves it was *not* a Russian attack. The nuclear substance originated in the United States. The fingerprints of the explosion and subsequent fall out are positive proof. However, suspense builds as the US President and Russian President are on stand-by preparing for war ... trying to read each others motives for action. The unraveling of the peace accords takes minutes although it took years and years to create peace and disarmament. The difficult decisions faced by the US President are depicted superbly ... The raw emotions arising during such a national disaster are naturally conveyed. The only failure in the film is the choice of selecting a disgruntled fascist group as the culprits for the attack. Keeping it closer to the story line in the book would have paid off huge dividends in the short and long run. In the years following 2001 and the Sept. 11th attack, using ancient history such as Nazi-like fascists as the enemy just does not play well with an audience. It leaves a huge credibility gap ...this is why it reminds me of the "007" films. Despite this one major flaw, for which I deducted one star, the film was a hit with this viewer. I highly recommend it.
Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
Intriguing Story, Questionable Execution April 5, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I must admit that this is my first Phil Robinson (director) film, or at least with me being aware of it, and that I'm not a political fiction "head," so I have an "empty section" of Tom Clancy novels in my library at home (although I am aware of the Jack Ryan protagonist being played by Harrison Ford in the Clancy film adaptations Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger). However, I do enjoy reading about politics, chiefly in the news and learning about different sides to events through documentaries and films.
From the outset, I loved the film in an overall sense: the wonderment of seeing what goes on behind "closed curtains," our hero Jack Ryan trying to unfoil a devious plot concocted "by the Russians," and the mysterious aura of being associated with the CIA really had me on the edge of my seat.
Aside from that however, there are a few things the filmmakers employ in the movie that will make you say, "What?" The first of these "problems" is that good ole Hollywood campiness. Not to give the movie away for those that haven't seen it, the part where our hero Ryan reunites with his doctor girlfriend after the "colossal event," she gives a pretty lame remark, especially having gone through such a monstrous occurrence, not to mention that she is basically unharmed which is ridiculous when you view her proximity to the "mechanism" that goes off basically in front of her face. Another campy part is where Ryan's helicopter goes down, wrecks badly, the pilot dies...and the radio still works. Yes - Ryan uses the radio to make contact for help. I guess I can let this slide by though, especially considering Hollywood usually acts in the protagonist's favor.
Other parts of the movie will have you raising your eyebrow in utter confusion - an excellent example of this? When the culprits are "caught" at the end. We basically have a middleman pitting America against Russia with both powers on the verge of nuking each other to oblivion, and eventually the villain and his cronies are caught. Sounds good, yes, and can you expect a whopping ending to such heinous atrocities committed by the baddies? Think again. I was amazed to the point of horrification when I saw how badly the villains were "caught."
Other than these shortcomings, the film is enjoyable, although it could've been better in my opinion. The script was exceptionally conceived, and while the actors do a good job, I think we've seen Morgan Freeman in better portrayals (but of course, the actor's job is to act, not treat a script even if it is subpar). The pace of the movie stutters a bit here and there, but overall, like I said this is a very good film, especially if you like political thrillers. The reason I give it three stars is because...well...it's slightly above average but...it could've been a little better.
Great Book March 9, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
The Sum of All Fears is about soldiers in war. The book talks about the fear men have when they are in war. We never think about the fear men have when they're in a war. In The Sum of All fears soldiers were surrounded by friends and men dying around them. They worry about staying alive each second. They crawl from one ditch to another. Soldiers are always thinking about their families at home. The Sum of All Fears describes fears of men in all different countries in the Middle East like Israeli, Sea of Galilee. The first part is telling the time and places. Also what the men were doing. The soldiers were involved in Israeli held-Golan Height on Saturday the 6th of October 1973. These are soldiers recounting events.
My opinion of The Sum of All Fears is a very good book, for it lets us knowledge about the fears men had have while they in a war. To me a war is a long journey that soldiers go though and have no idea why. I had a first cousion that went into the army and came home after basic trainning then he went on assignment three day later was killed leaving a wife and new baby boy. Only the government knows what the real fight is about. While the media is give misleading information to the public. But The Sum of All Fears was able to let me know some of the things soldiers deal with day-to-day.
What is the Worse Thing that Can Happen? February 16, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It appears that in 1973 Israel lost a jet that had a nuclear bomb but couldn't recover it. It is found and sold for salvage by someone who recognizes its value. Jack Ryan (played by a too young Ben Affleck) is working for the Director of the CIA and dating a surgical student. Ryan visits Russia to inspect nuclear decommissioning, and we see other events. A new premier comes to power in Russia. There is an attack on a city in Chechnya, and the US President Fowler wants to send in "peace-keepers" to occupy this rebellious province. A secret organization is found in a military base, and the CIA sends in an agent to investigate. They find the "package" is on a freighter bound for Baltimore. The Fascists want to provoke a war between Russian and America; if each knocks out the other a new world order will arise. A nuclear bomb explodes in Baltimore. Are you following this?
Next a report that an ICBM has hit Moscow, and the Russians plan to sink an American aircraft carrier in the North Sea (!). A de facto state of war now exists. But they find out the plutonium in the Baltimore bomb came from the US (its "DNA"). Jack Ryan drives to the warehouse to track the records. Ryan gets to communicate with the Russian Premier, and is able to halt the escalation to nuclear war. And so the World is saved once again. The "hotline" that was installed by JFK in 1963 proves its worth. The Fascist plotters are tracked down and neutralized. A new peace treaty is signed.
A long and complex novel can be translated to film. It is not simplified, too many details can complicate the story. To be plausible, a story should not have glaringly false details (like a nuclear attack). [What has poor Baltimore ever done to Tom Clancy?] Complaints about erroneous technical details (like EMP) are correct, but remember this is just a movie, like a cartoon.
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