Time: 124 Minutes
Age Rating: M
Cast:
Ben Affleck as Jack Ryan
Morgan Freeman as DCI William Cabot
James Cromwell as US President Fowler
Liev Schreiber as John Clark
Bridget Moynahan as Dr. Cathy Muller
Alan Bates as Richard Dressler
Ciarán Hinds as Russian President Nemerov
Philip Baker Hall as Defense Secretary Becker
Ron Rifkin as Secretary of State Owens
Bruce McGill as National Security Advisor Revell
Director: Phil Alden Robinson

I decided to revisit the Jack Ryan movies, and while I had already seen most of them, one blind spot was The Sum of All Fears. I mainly knew that Ben Affleck played Jack Ryan following on from Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford, and that the movie wasn’t that well received. Perhaps my experience benefited from low expectations, but I enjoyed it.

The Sum of All Fears is very much a Tom Clancy Jack Ryan story and has all the things you’d expect, politics, the CIA, nuclear weapons, Russians and a plot about the world being on the brink of World War 3, this time between the USA and Russia. Unfortunately, the plot is pretty forgettable. A surprising part is that it actually focuses more on international politics and diplomacy over mindless action, it’s more of a spy political drama, at least for the first half. However, the writing isn’t really good enough to deliver on that, and just amounts to an above average thriller. Still, the plot is reasonably straightforward and is paced well, so it is enjoyable enough.

I had heard some people had criticized Ben Affleck’s casting as Jack Ryan but I thought he was actually solid in this role. He doesn’t leave as much of an impression compared to say Harrison Ford, but he played the part well. Morgan Freeman is good as always, and he and Affleck play off each other well. Other actors including Ciaran Hinds, Phillip Baker Hall, James Cromwell, and Liev Schreiber were also good in supporting roles.

The direction from Phil Alden Robinson is decent, he does well at creating a tense atmosphere. There isn’t as much action as you’d expect. but there are some exciting sequences, especially a standout sequence in the second half. It also benefits from a good Jerry Goldsmith score.

The Sum of All Fears is a fun espionage action thriller that’s flawed, but decent. It definitely isn’t on the level of The Hunt for Red October or either of the Harrison Ford Jack Ryan movies, but I think it is still worth a watch.